Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Aug:41:377-397.
doi: 10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112223. Epub 2015 Apr 16.

The Environmental Dimensions of Migration

Lori M Hunter  1 , Jessie K Luna  1 , Rachel M Norton  2
Affiliations

The Environmental Dimensions of Migration

Lori M Hunter et al. Annu Rev Sociol. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

Research on the environmental dimensions of human migration has made important strides in recent years. However, findings have been spread across multiple disciplines with wide ranging methodologies and limited theoretical development. This article reviews key findings of the field and identifies future directions for sociological research. We contend that the field has moved beyond linear environmental "push" theories towards a greater integration of context, including micro-, meso-, and macro-level interactions. We highlight findings that migration is often a household strategy to diversify risk (NELM), interacting with household composition, individual characteristics, social networks, and historical, political and economic contexts. We highlight promising developments in the field, including the recognition that migration is a long-standing form of environmental adaptation and yet only one among many forms of adaptation. Finally, we argue that sociologists could contribute significantly to migration-environment inquiry through attention to issues of inequality, perceptions, and agency vis-à-vis structure.

Keywords: adaptation; climate change; environment; livelihoods; migration; mobility; vulnerability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A conceptual framework for the drivers of migration as presented by Black R, Adger WN, Arnell NW, Dercon S, Geddes A, Thomas D. 2011. The effect of environmental change on human migration. Glob. Environ. Change. 21S:S3–11, page S5.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

Literature Cited

    1. Adamo SB, Izazola H. Human migration and the environment. Popul Environ. 2010;32(2):105–8.
    1. Adger WN. Vulnerability. Glob Environ Change. 2006;16(3):268–81.
    1. Adger WN, Kelly PM, Winkels A, Huy LQ, Locke C. Migration, remittances, livelihood trajectories, and social resilience. AMBIO J Hum Environ. 2002;31(4):358–66. - PubMed
    1. Afifi T. Economic or environmental migration? The push factors in Niger Int Migr. 2011;49(s1):e95–e124.
    1. Auchincloss AH, Roux AVD. A new tool for epidemiology: the usefulness of dynamic-agent models in understanding place effects on health. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;168(1):1–8. - PubMed

Annotated References

    1. Black R, Adger WN, Arnell NW, Dercon S, Geddes A, Thomas D. The effect of environmental change on human migration. Glob Environ Change. 2011;21S:S3–11. Especially useful summary and conceptual framework on migration-environment connections.
    1. Carr ER. Placing the environment in migration: environment, economy, and power in Ghana' s central Region. Environ Plan. 2005;37(5):925–46. Uses political ecology perspective to explore perceptions, power and politics.
    1. Entwisle B. Putting people into place. Demography. 2007;44:687–703. Useful overview of context in demographic research -- and a call to action. - PubMed
    1. Hunter LM. Migration and environmental hazards. Popul Environ. 2005;26(4):273–302. Overview of place of “environment” in classic migration theories. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Freudenburg WR, Frickel S, Gramling R. Beyond the Nature/Society divide: Learning to think about a mountain. Sociol Forum. 1995;10:361–92. Classic Environmental Sociology essay introducing concept of ‘conjoint constitution’.

Related Resources

    1. Black R, Arnell N, Dercon S, editors. Glob Environ Change. 1. 2011. Migration and environmental change: review of drivers of migration; pp. S1–2130.
    1. Bremner J, Hunter L. Population Bulletin. 1. Vol. 69. Population Reference Bureau; Washington DC: 2014. Migration and Environment.

    1. http://www.prb.org/pdf14/migration-and-environment.pdf

    1. Maxmillan M, Billah M, Siddiqui T, Abrar C, Black R, Kniveton D. Climate-related migration in rural Bangladesh: a behavioural model. Pop Env. 2014;36(1):85–110.
    1. Piguet E, Pécoud A, Guchteneire PF, editors. Migration and climate change. Cambridge University Press; 2011.