1st Edition

Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights Law and Policy Perspectives

    268 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    284 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Climate Change already having serious impacts on the lives of millions of people across the world. These impacts are not only ecological, but also social, economic and legal. Among the most significant of such impacts is climate change-induced migration. The implications of this on human rights raise pressing questions, which require serious scholarly reflection.

    Drawing together experts in this field, Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights offers a fresh perspective on human rights law and policy issues in the climate change regime by examining the interrelationships between various aspects of human rights, climate change and migration. Three key themes are explored: understanding the concepts of human dignity, human rights and human security; the theoretical nexus between human rights, climate change and migration or displacement; and the practical implications and challenges for lawyers and policy-makers of protecting human dignity in the face of climate change and displacement. The book also includes a series of case studies from Alaska, Bangladesh, Kenya and the Pacific islands which aim to improve our understanding of the theoretical and practical implications of climate change for human rights and migration.

    This book will be of great interest to scholars of environmental law and policy, human rights law, climate change, and migration and refugee studies.

    Foreword

    PART I Introduction

    1. Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights Dimitra Manou and Anja Mihr

    PART II Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights: The Theoretical Nexus

    2. Governance and Climate Change-induced Mobility: International and Regional Frameworks Elizabeth Ferris

    3. Critical Perspective on the Identification of ‘Environmental Refugees’ as a Category of Human Rights Concern Benoît Mayer

    PART III Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights: Legal and Policy Approaches

    4. Climate Justice, Migration and Human Rights Anja Mihr

    5. Transitional Law in the Climate Change Context Teresa Thorp

    6. State Responsibility to Prevent Climate Displacement: The Importance of Housing, Land and Property Rights Ezekiel Simperingham

    7. In-Situ Adaptation: Non-Migration as a Coping Strategy for Vulnerable Persons Dug Cubie

    PART IV Case Studies

    8. On Climate Migration and Conflicts – A Self-fulfilling Prophecy? Lennart Olsson

    9. The Human Rights of Climate-Induced Community Relocation Robin Bronen

    10. Land Matters: Challenges to Planned Relocation as a Durable Solution to Environmentally Induced Displacement in Kenya Jeanette Schade

    11. Politicising Climate Change Adaptation: Negotiating Environmental Migration in the European Union and the Pacific Silja Klepp & Johannes Herbeck

    12. Climate and Community: The Human Rights, Livelihood, and Migration Impacts of Climate Change Brooke Ackerly, Mujibul Anam, Jonathan Gilligan & Steven Goodbred

    13. Labour Mobility Options as Adaptation Strategies to Environmental Changes? Elisa Fornalé

    PART V Conclusions

    14. Conclusions Andrew Baldwin

    Biography

    Andrew Baldwin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography, Durham University, UK.

    Dug Cubie is a Lecturer in the School of Law, University College Cork, Ireland.

    Dimitra Manou is a Senior Researcher in the School of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

    Anja Mihr is the Programme Director of HUMBOLDT – VIADRINA Center on Governance through Human Rights, Berlin, Germany.

    Teresa Thorp is CEO & Principal, Insight International (International Trade & Environmental Lawyers & Economists).