A Never-Ending Story or the Beginning of the End? A Qualitative Analysis of Perspectives on Climate Change Induced Migration

Författare

Terese Göransson

Summary, in English

Climate change induced migration is sometimes pictured as an urgent up-coming crisis that could result in waves of international refugees and violent conflicts, and sometimes as part of human history. It is a contested topic, an issue that divides actors and that still has no agreed upon definition. To get a better understanding of the debate, this thesis sets out to display the main discussions and perspectives on climate change induced migration and to elaborate on the implications that different policy proposals might bring.

Through a literature review, main debates and perspectives are identified resulting in the choice of two contesting perspectives to analyse, the climate migrant and the climate refugee perspectives. By analysing the perspectives on a case of climate change induced migration, Bangladesh, debates regarding different types of migration as well as the causes of the phenomenon are elaborated and the implications regarding policy recommendations following the approach of one perspective or the other discussed, bringing theory and reality together.

The analysis explores the complex nature of climate change induced migration. It is found that the different perspectives focus on different aspects of the phenomenon, including contesting views on causes and effects. Gaps in both perspectives’ policy recommendations are found and it is argued that there is a need for an approach that recognises the needs of the people affected, but that is also adapted to the current context of international climate change politics.

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