Research on the impacts of COVID-19 on mobility has focused primarily on the increased health vul... more Research on the impacts of COVID-19 on mobility has focused primarily on the increased health vulnerabilities of involuntary migrant and displaced populations. But virtually all migration flows have been truncated and altered because of reduced economic and mobility opportunities of migrants. Here we use a well-established framework of migration decision-making, whereby individual decisions combine the aspiration and ability to migrate, to explain how public responses to the COVID-19 pandemic alter migration patterns among urban populations across the world. The principal responses to COVID-19 pandemic that affected migration are: 1) through travel restrictions and border closures, 2) by affecting abilities to move through economic and other means, and 3) by affecting aspirations to move. Using in-depth qualitative data collected in six cities in four continents (Accra, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dhaka, Maputo, and Worcester), we explore how populations with diverse levels of education an...
As demonstrated in the previous chapters, land in Morocco is mainly used for farming and pastoral... more As demonstrated in the previous chapters, land in Morocco is mainly used for farming and pastoral activities. These activities are more vulnerable to the consequences of increased precipitation and drought due to climate change. Various modern and traditional adaptation strategies – among which migration to urban centres or abroad – have been used to deal with environmental changes. This suggests that a large share of inhabitants are in some way aware of the changes in their natural environment and already familiar with adaptation strategies (Schilling et al. 2012; Mertz et al. 2009). However, in most studies, researchers focusing on this topic do not relate this to people’s overall views on environmental change and the adaptation strategies employed by the actors involved. When they do, they hardly focus on people living in the MENA region (Nielsen and D’haen 2014); West-Africa (Mertz et al. 2010, 2012; Afifi 2011; De Longueville et al. 2020); DR Congo (Bele et al. 2014; Few et al....
This book contributes to wider research efforts undertaken under MIGRADAPT, which stands for: Mak... more This book contributes to wider research efforts undertaken under MIGRADAPT, which stands for: Making Migration Work for Adaptation to Environmental Changes. A Belgian Appraisal. This project is funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) and is a joint collaboration between four Belgian institutions: Liège University’s Hugo Observatory (Coordinator); Université Libre de Bruxelles’s CEDD (Centre d’Etudes du Développement Durable), University of Antwerp’s CeMIS (Center for Migration and Integration Studies); and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.
In this chapter, I delve deeper into the role played by ‘cultures of migration’ in the developmen... more In this chapter, I delve deeper into the role played by ‘cultures of migration’ in the development of migration aspirations in both Tinghir and Tangier, and how these cultures of migration interact with environmental factors. This chapter builds further on previous insights from migration systems theory, which posits that migration results in multiple flows of material goods, ideas and money (Mabogunje 1970; Levitt 1998). In other words, this theory states that migration results in more than exchanges and flows of people. By building further on the concept of ‘cumulative causation’ (Myrdal 1957), migration systems theory advances that migration results in the transformation of social and economic structures, facilitating more migration. This idea is crucial to fully understand the development of migration aspirations because it pays attention to how contextual feedback loops can either positively or negatively stimulate the further development of migration aspirations (De Haas 2010)...
From the Sahel to the coastal zone, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental change... more From the Sahel to the coastal zone, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental changes resulting from both slow processes and sudden shocks. These changes significantly influence migration patterns of populations within and outside of West Africa. In this region, where natural resources are the basis of livelihoods and food security, the relationship between environmental change and socio-economic vulnerability is of particular concern. Environmental degradation impacts the vulnerability of populations and their resiliency in complex ways. The presence of environmental and climatic stresses varies geographically. While desertification and drought are of primary importance for some areas, flooding, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels are the main dangers for others. Within the same population affected by the same climate threats, vulnerability and the likelihood of migration are influenced by socio-economic status, dependence on natural resources, and demographic chara...
From the Sahel to the coast, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental change impact... more From the Sahel to the coast, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental change impacts, whether resulting from slow-onset changes or sudden shocks. They are significantly influencing migration patterns in and out of West Africa. In this region where natural resources form the foundation of livelihoods and food security (fishing and agriculture), the relationship between environmental changes and socioeconomic vulnerabilities is of particular concern. Environmental degradation affects populations' vulnerability and resilience capacity in complex ways. The presence of multiple environmental trends and shocks varies geographically. While desertification and droughts are of prime importance for some, floods, coastal erosion, and sea level rise are the main hazards for others. Even within local populations affected by the same climatic threats, their vulnerability and likelihood to migrate are affected by their socioeconomic status, their dependence on natural resources, ...
Compiling several case studies in different developing countries, we arrive at some ‘general tren... more Compiling several case studies in different developing countries, we arrive at some ‘general trends’ on the links between climate / environmental change and migration / displacement of populations. A series of complementary posters exemplify this assessment. Below, we show – from an example in Nouakchott, Mauritania – how fast migration can occur – and be mostly permanent – even with a tiny rainfall perturbation.
This volume is the eight in the annual series and the third of its kind published with the Presse... more This volume is the eight in the annual series and the third of its kind published with the Presses Universitaires de Liège. The State of Environmental Migration aims to provide its readership with the most updated assessments on recent events and evolving dynamics of environmental migration throughout the world. Each year, the editors select the best graduate student work from the course “Environment and Migration”, taught by François Gemenne and Caroline Zickgraf at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) of Sciences Po. Presented in this edition are displacements induced by some of the most dramatic disaster events of 2017, including Hurricane Irma and Cyclone Enawo, as well as analyses of migration flows related to a variety of environmental occurrences throughout the year spanning the globe. SEM 2018 thus represents another stepping stone towards understanding how the adverse effects of climate change and disasters alter migration patterns.
With the target of limiting global warming to 2ºC becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, pol... more With the target of limiting global warming to 2ºC becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, policymakers, businesses and other decision-makers need to begin to plan ahead for adaptation to changes in climate associated with higher levels of global warming. Alongside this, ongoing international negotiations on limiting global warming require clear information on the demographic consequences of different levels of climate change. The HELIX project (High-End cLimate Impacts and eXtremes), and FP7 funded by the European Commission, will address this by providing a clear, coherent, internally consistent view of a manageable number of “future worlds” under higher levels of global warming reached under a range of physical and socio-economic circumstances. This paper outlines the overarching framework of the HELIX project, its objectives, and, more specifically, its intended task of examining the potential implications of climate change for migration and conflict, including the implications of socio-economic scenarios, particularly their effects on vulnerability and adaptation constraints. The paper focuses in particular on the way that demographic differentials will affect people’s behavior in the face of extreme climate change. The perspective on the impacts of climate change on populations is usually rooted in a deterministic perspective that does not account for the role of demographic differentials in variability assessment, yet demographic research shows that such differentials are a key determinant of vulnerability to environmental stress.Peer reviewe
In this chapter we turn to relevant findings arising from fieldwork conducted in Belgium in the c... more In this chapter we turn to relevant findings arising from fieldwork conducted in Belgium in the context of the MIGRADAPT project. Although the Moroccan case study that forms the core of this book must be interpreted independently from the empirical data provided in this chapter (and vice versa), both case studies hinge on the same theoretical framework and are, as such, inherently complementary and connected, although not meant to be directly comparative.
This book provides a unique approach to the Moroccan context. Many researchers have conducted fie... more This book provides a unique approach to the Moroccan context. Many researchers have conducted fieldwork in Morocco, departing from migration studies (e.g., De Haas 2003, 2006, 2010; Czaika and De Haas 2011; De Haas and El Ghanjou 2000), while others solely focused on environmental and climate changes (e.g., Schilling et al. 2012), leaving the interplay between both to be explored more in-depth. The Moroccan context offers a unique research context because it is confronted with gradual environmental change over the last decades and has initiated considerable action at the national level to develop policies or strategies to counteract these changes. Hence, Morocco in 2019 ranked among the leading countries in the fight against climate change on the Climate Change Performance Index (Burck et al. 2019). Furthermore, Morocco evolved into one of the world’s leading emigration countries in the second half of the twentieth century, being characterized by unexpected developments, including c...
Before we delve further into the relationship between migration and environmental change, it is i... more Before we delve further into the relationship between migration and environmental change, it is important to gain more insight into the migration history of Moroccans going abroad and the specific environmental changes faced by people in Morocco. Therefore, in the first part of this chapter, we outline the history of Moroccan migration to Europe in general and to Belgium in particular. Morocco provides an interesting case of study with regard to environmental migration, as in the second half of the twentieth century, Morocco evolved into one of the world’s leading emigration countries. Moroccan migration is one of the unexpected outcomes in which colonial migration, labour migration, family reunification, and, most recently, undocumented migration combine. Hence, there is a high degree of internal differentiation and dynamics within the migrant population of Morocco (De Haas 2007).
For nearly thirty years the Berlin Wall symbolised a divided Europe. In the euphoric aftermath of... more For nearly thirty years the Berlin Wall symbolised a divided Europe. In the euphoric aftermath of the Cold War, the advent of a new borderless world was hailed, one in which such barriers would become obsolete. Today these utopian predictions have yet to be realised. An inspiring and thoroughly researched book, not afraid of communicating a clear political message and expressing severe criticism, Fortress Europe provides much room for discussion not only on EU immigration policies, but also on the norms, values and principles on which Europe builds itself and against which it is measured, writes Inez von Weitershausen.
The focus on perceived environmental changes and risks is a necessary precondition before people’... more The focus on perceived environmental changes and risks is a necessary precondition before people’s vulnerabilities and abilities to migrate can be taken into account (Adam 2005). This approach contrasts with previous research on environmental migration that has mainly focused on the vulnerabilities of people towards environmental changes. This vulnerability approach is, for instance, widely used in reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2014) and refers to the potential loss or harm one encounters or could encounter when facing environmental changes. This vulnerability is assumed to depend on the nature of the physical risks one could be exposed to and inherent sensitivity one has. The latter refers, for instance, to the type of economic activities of a community. For example, communities that rely heavily on agricultural activities are more sensitive to water scarcity and suffer more from drought, than other communities. It is within this framework that migr...
Research on the impacts of COVID-19 on mobility has focused primarily on the increased health vul... more Research on the impacts of COVID-19 on mobility has focused primarily on the increased health vulnerabilities of involuntary migrant and displaced populations. But virtually all migration flows have been truncated and altered because of reduced economic and mobility opportunities of migrants. Here we use a well-established framework of migration decision-making, whereby individual decisions combine the aspiration and ability to migrate, to explain how public responses to the COVID-19 pandemic alter migration patterns among urban populations across the world. The principal responses to COVID-19 pandemic that affected migration are: 1) through travel restrictions and border closures, 2) by affecting abilities to move through economic and other means, and 3) by affecting aspirations to move. Using in-depth qualitative data collected in six cities in four continents (Accra, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dhaka, Maputo, and Worcester), we explore how populations with diverse levels of education an...
As demonstrated in the previous chapters, land in Morocco is mainly used for farming and pastoral... more As demonstrated in the previous chapters, land in Morocco is mainly used for farming and pastoral activities. These activities are more vulnerable to the consequences of increased precipitation and drought due to climate change. Various modern and traditional adaptation strategies – among which migration to urban centres or abroad – have been used to deal with environmental changes. This suggests that a large share of inhabitants are in some way aware of the changes in their natural environment and already familiar with adaptation strategies (Schilling et al. 2012; Mertz et al. 2009). However, in most studies, researchers focusing on this topic do not relate this to people’s overall views on environmental change and the adaptation strategies employed by the actors involved. When they do, they hardly focus on people living in the MENA region (Nielsen and D’haen 2014); West-Africa (Mertz et al. 2010, 2012; Afifi 2011; De Longueville et al. 2020); DR Congo (Bele et al. 2014; Few et al....
This book contributes to wider research efforts undertaken under MIGRADAPT, which stands for: Mak... more This book contributes to wider research efforts undertaken under MIGRADAPT, which stands for: Making Migration Work for Adaptation to Environmental Changes. A Belgian Appraisal. This project is funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) and is a joint collaboration between four Belgian institutions: Liège University’s Hugo Observatory (Coordinator); Université Libre de Bruxelles’s CEDD (Centre d’Etudes du Développement Durable), University of Antwerp’s CeMIS (Center for Migration and Integration Studies); and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.
In this chapter, I delve deeper into the role played by ‘cultures of migration’ in the developmen... more In this chapter, I delve deeper into the role played by ‘cultures of migration’ in the development of migration aspirations in both Tinghir and Tangier, and how these cultures of migration interact with environmental factors. This chapter builds further on previous insights from migration systems theory, which posits that migration results in multiple flows of material goods, ideas and money (Mabogunje 1970; Levitt 1998). In other words, this theory states that migration results in more than exchanges and flows of people. By building further on the concept of ‘cumulative causation’ (Myrdal 1957), migration systems theory advances that migration results in the transformation of social and economic structures, facilitating more migration. This idea is crucial to fully understand the development of migration aspirations because it pays attention to how contextual feedback loops can either positively or negatively stimulate the further development of migration aspirations (De Haas 2010)...
From the Sahel to the coastal zone, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental change... more From the Sahel to the coastal zone, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental changes resulting from both slow processes and sudden shocks. These changes significantly influence migration patterns of populations within and outside of West Africa. In this region, where natural resources are the basis of livelihoods and food security, the relationship between environmental change and socio-economic vulnerability is of particular concern. Environmental degradation impacts the vulnerability of populations and their resiliency in complex ways. The presence of environmental and climatic stresses varies geographically. While desertification and drought are of primary importance for some areas, flooding, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels are the main dangers for others. Within the same population affected by the same climate threats, vulnerability and the likelihood of migration are influenced by socio-economic status, dependence on natural resources, and demographic chara...
From the Sahel to the coast, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental change impact... more From the Sahel to the coast, West Africa is experiencing a variety of environmental change impacts, whether resulting from slow-onset changes or sudden shocks. They are significantly influencing migration patterns in and out of West Africa. In this region where natural resources form the foundation of livelihoods and food security (fishing and agriculture), the relationship between environmental changes and socioeconomic vulnerabilities is of particular concern. Environmental degradation affects populations' vulnerability and resilience capacity in complex ways. The presence of multiple environmental trends and shocks varies geographically. While desertification and droughts are of prime importance for some, floods, coastal erosion, and sea level rise are the main hazards for others. Even within local populations affected by the same climatic threats, their vulnerability and likelihood to migrate are affected by their socioeconomic status, their dependence on natural resources, ...
Compiling several case studies in different developing countries, we arrive at some ‘general tren... more Compiling several case studies in different developing countries, we arrive at some ‘general trends’ on the links between climate / environmental change and migration / displacement of populations. A series of complementary posters exemplify this assessment. Below, we show – from an example in Nouakchott, Mauritania – how fast migration can occur – and be mostly permanent – even with a tiny rainfall perturbation.
This volume is the eight in the annual series and the third of its kind published with the Presse... more This volume is the eight in the annual series and the third of its kind published with the Presses Universitaires de Liège. The State of Environmental Migration aims to provide its readership with the most updated assessments on recent events and evolving dynamics of environmental migration throughout the world. Each year, the editors select the best graduate student work from the course “Environment and Migration”, taught by François Gemenne and Caroline Zickgraf at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) of Sciences Po. Presented in this edition are displacements induced by some of the most dramatic disaster events of 2017, including Hurricane Irma and Cyclone Enawo, as well as analyses of migration flows related to a variety of environmental occurrences throughout the year spanning the globe. SEM 2018 thus represents another stepping stone towards understanding how the adverse effects of climate change and disasters alter migration patterns.
With the target of limiting global warming to 2ºC becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, pol... more With the target of limiting global warming to 2ºC becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, policymakers, businesses and other decision-makers need to begin to plan ahead for adaptation to changes in climate associated with higher levels of global warming. Alongside this, ongoing international negotiations on limiting global warming require clear information on the demographic consequences of different levels of climate change. The HELIX project (High-End cLimate Impacts and eXtremes), and FP7 funded by the European Commission, will address this by providing a clear, coherent, internally consistent view of a manageable number of “future worlds” under higher levels of global warming reached under a range of physical and socio-economic circumstances. This paper outlines the overarching framework of the HELIX project, its objectives, and, more specifically, its intended task of examining the potential implications of climate change for migration and conflict, including the implications of socio-economic scenarios, particularly their effects on vulnerability and adaptation constraints. The paper focuses in particular on the way that demographic differentials will affect people’s behavior in the face of extreme climate change. The perspective on the impacts of climate change on populations is usually rooted in a deterministic perspective that does not account for the role of demographic differentials in variability assessment, yet demographic research shows that such differentials are a key determinant of vulnerability to environmental stress.Peer reviewe
In this chapter we turn to relevant findings arising from fieldwork conducted in Belgium in the c... more In this chapter we turn to relevant findings arising from fieldwork conducted in Belgium in the context of the MIGRADAPT project. Although the Moroccan case study that forms the core of this book must be interpreted independently from the empirical data provided in this chapter (and vice versa), both case studies hinge on the same theoretical framework and are, as such, inherently complementary and connected, although not meant to be directly comparative.
This book provides a unique approach to the Moroccan context. Many researchers have conducted fie... more This book provides a unique approach to the Moroccan context. Many researchers have conducted fieldwork in Morocco, departing from migration studies (e.g., De Haas 2003, 2006, 2010; Czaika and De Haas 2011; De Haas and El Ghanjou 2000), while others solely focused on environmental and climate changes (e.g., Schilling et al. 2012), leaving the interplay between both to be explored more in-depth. The Moroccan context offers a unique research context because it is confronted with gradual environmental change over the last decades and has initiated considerable action at the national level to develop policies or strategies to counteract these changes. Hence, Morocco in 2019 ranked among the leading countries in the fight against climate change on the Climate Change Performance Index (Burck et al. 2019). Furthermore, Morocco evolved into one of the world’s leading emigration countries in the second half of the twentieth century, being characterized by unexpected developments, including c...
Before we delve further into the relationship between migration and environmental change, it is i... more Before we delve further into the relationship between migration and environmental change, it is important to gain more insight into the migration history of Moroccans going abroad and the specific environmental changes faced by people in Morocco. Therefore, in the first part of this chapter, we outline the history of Moroccan migration to Europe in general and to Belgium in particular. Morocco provides an interesting case of study with regard to environmental migration, as in the second half of the twentieth century, Morocco evolved into one of the world’s leading emigration countries. Moroccan migration is one of the unexpected outcomes in which colonial migration, labour migration, family reunification, and, most recently, undocumented migration combine. Hence, there is a high degree of internal differentiation and dynamics within the migrant population of Morocco (De Haas 2007).
For nearly thirty years the Berlin Wall symbolised a divided Europe. In the euphoric aftermath of... more For nearly thirty years the Berlin Wall symbolised a divided Europe. In the euphoric aftermath of the Cold War, the advent of a new borderless world was hailed, one in which such barriers would become obsolete. Today these utopian predictions have yet to be realised. An inspiring and thoroughly researched book, not afraid of communicating a clear political message and expressing severe criticism, Fortress Europe provides much room for discussion not only on EU immigration policies, but also on the norms, values and principles on which Europe builds itself and against which it is measured, writes Inez von Weitershausen.
The focus on perceived environmental changes and risks is a necessary precondition before people’... more The focus on perceived environmental changes and risks is a necessary precondition before people’s vulnerabilities and abilities to migrate can be taken into account (Adam 2005). This approach contrasts with previous research on environmental migration that has mainly focused on the vulnerabilities of people towards environmental changes. This vulnerability approach is, for instance, widely used in reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2014) and refers to the potential loss or harm one encounters or could encounter when facing environmental changes. This vulnerability is assumed to depend on the nature of the physical risks one could be exposed to and inherent sensitivity one has. The latter refers, for instance, to the type of economic activities of a community. For example, communities that rely heavily on agricultural activities are more sensitive to water scarcity and suffer more from drought, than other communities. It is within this framework that migr...
The upheavals of the Arab Spring grabbed the world’s immediate attention, and concern quickly gre... more The upheavals of the Arab Spring grabbed the world’s immediate attention, and concern quickly grew over their potential aftermath, with the fear that a ‘tidal wave’ of immigrants and refugees would ‘flood’ European territory. The Arab Spring has highlighted the Mediterranean as a migration region, and new research is now required to bring to light too often neglected mobility patterns and border practices that predate and outlast the tumultuous spring of 2011.
The edited volume Space, Mobility and Borders in the Western Mediterranean tackles these contemporary issues related to migration in the Mediterranean region. It brings together high-quality, original academic contributions from both empirical and theoretical points of view by scholars from diverse disciplines, who draw upon Anglophone, Francophone, Spanish and Italian research. It reexamines borders in the light of a now full-blown body of literature that seeks to capture the complexity of their contemporary features beyond their most direct visual enactments, in particular the sweeping deployment of policing devices and operations along the North/South fault line. Another distinctive binding thread in this book is that it emphasizes migrants as active subjects interacting with local events, national policies and the bordering process.
Offering an examination of the intricate interplay among the events of the Arab Spring, migration’s multiple types and actors, and the evolving relationship between migration control and borders in the region, this book is an essential resource for students and scholars of migration studies, European Union Studies and Mediterranean Studies.
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The edited volume Space, Mobility and Borders in the Western Mediterranean tackles these contemporary issues related to migration in the Mediterranean region. It brings together high-quality, original academic contributions from both empirical and theoretical points of view by scholars from diverse disciplines, who draw upon Anglophone, Francophone, Spanish and Italian research. It reexamines borders in the light of a now full-blown body of literature that seeks to capture the complexity of their contemporary features beyond their most direct visual enactments, in particular the sweeping deployment of policing devices and operations along the North/South fault line. Another distinctive binding thread in this book is that it emphasizes migrants as active subjects interacting with local events, national policies and the bordering process.
Offering an examination of the intricate interplay among the events of the Arab Spring, migration’s multiple types and actors, and the evolving relationship between migration control and borders in the region, this book is an essential resource for students and scholars of migration studies, European Union Studies and Mediterranean Studies.