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. 2010 May;1(3):450-461.
doi: 10.1002/wcc.51.

Migration in the context of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change: insights from analogues

Robert A McLeman  1 , Lori M Hunter
Affiliations

Migration in the context of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change: insights from analogues

Robert A McLeman et al. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Clim Change. 2010 May.

Abstract

Migration is one of the variety of ways by which human populations adapt to environmental changes. The study of migration in the context of anthropogenic climate change is often approached using the concept of vulnerability and its key functional elements: exposure, system sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. This article explores the interaction of climate change and vulnerability through review of case studies of dry-season migration in the West African Sahel, hurricane-related population displacements in the Caribbean basin, winter migration of 'snowbirds' to the US Sun-belt, and 1930s drought migration on the North American Great Plains. These examples are then used as analogues for identifying general causal, temporal, and spatial dimensions of climate migration, along with potential considerations for policy-making and future research needs.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Population of New Orleans on July 1, pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina (August 2005). Source: US Census Bureau, City population datasets, accessed 30 March 2009 http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/files/CO-EST2008-POPCHG2000_2008-22.csv.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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    1. Arnell NW. Climate change and global water resources: SRES emissions and socio-economic scenarios. Glob Environ Change. 2003;14:31–52.
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