Event description:
Experts generally agree that the environmental change is but one of the many reasons that prompt people to migrate, sometimes operating on its own but more often through other mechanisms. Individuals, households and communities facing similar environmental changes may respond differently to these processes. It is believed that the specific impacts of environmental change, and the extent to which they lead to migration, displacement and/or relocation, are mediated by the level of vulnerability and resilience found in those affected by these processes.* Understanding why people faced with similar macro-level factors move or stay is important. A better understanding of the impact of vulnerability and resilience to environmental changes may help policymakers and practitioners assess the degree to which people need to move, what forms of movement are likely, and their ability to avoid harm in the presence or absence of mobility.
Call for Proposals
The Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Environmental Change and Migration, on behalf of the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD), plans to commission one or more papers that elucidate the relationship between individual, household and community-level vulnerability and resilience, on the one hand, and migration in the context of environmental change on the other. The papers will be distributed widely, including for circulation at upcoming events, such as the International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
We are seeking proposals for preparation of papers that address one or more of the following issues:
- A critical review of the literature on individual, household and community vulnerability and resilience to environmental change and resulting migration patterns;
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience to environmental change as a driver of migration in one or more geographic regions (based on already collected empirical data);
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience on the efficacy of migration as a strategy for adaptation to environmental change in one or more geographic regions (based on already collected empirical data);
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience to environmental change as a driver of migration in the context of acute events, such as cyclones and floods (based on already collected empirical data);
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience on the efficacy of migration as a strategy for adaptation to environmental change in the context of acute events, such as cyclones and floods (based on already collected empirical data);
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience to environmental change as a driver of migration in the context of slow onset processes, such as rising sea levels and more frequent and prolonged drought (based on already collected empirical data); and
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience on the efficacy of migration as a strategy for adaptation to environmental change in the context of slow onset processes, such as rising sea levels and more frequent and prolonged drought (based on already collected empirical data).
- Analysis of the impact of vulnerability and resilience, including mechanisms for conflict resolution, in reducing the risk of violence resulting from environmental change and its links to migration, displacement and planned relocation.
Completed papers should be between 7,500-10,000 words including an Executive Summary and Bibliography. The paper should be in English, using language that is accessible to policymakers and practitioners as well as researchers.