Global Environmentally Induced Migration: A Major Challenge for Social Work Research and Practice

Background and Purpose

Different phenomena of global environmental change can trigger forced migration, such as: climatic variability and changing precipitation patterns; drought, land degradation and desertification; floods and sea level rise; and loss of biodiversity and food production. Climate change plays a major role in environmentally induced migration through its negative impact on terrestrial ecosystems, land and soil fertility, and food security. Four paths exist by which climate change can affect human mobility: drying trends that affect access to essential natural resources and negatively impact the sustainability of environment-related livelihoods including agriculture, forestry, and fishing; rising sea levels, desertification, permafrost melt that make areas uninhabitable for humans; increased frequency and magnitude of natural disasters that destroy infrastructure and livelihoods; and lastly, competition over diminishing natural resources that may exacerbate pressures and contribute to conflict. Social work is challenged with new dimensions and magnitude of forced migration and (often undocumented) immigration. Intervention strategies at all levels must take into account growing evidence for climate change impacting human lives.

Methods

We conducted a rigorous systematic review of recent (2010-2015) literature studying the effects of climate change on human livelihoods, vulnerability, and under-development resulting in forced migration and further results such as trauma, violence, poverty or conflict. The Campbell Collaboration Resource Center was utilized to recognize the steps that must be followed in order to conduct a rigorous systematic review. Databases explored were Social Work Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, PsycINFO, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, Academic Search Premier, ProQuest, SocINDEX and EconLit through EbscoHOST. Peer reviewed articles, social work and other reports, UN documents, white papers and other policy documents were analyzed. Keywords used were environmental migration, environmental refugees, climate change and social work, environmental social work, indigenous social work and conservation social work. Of a set of 1,400 articles and documents, 200 were included in the review.

Results

Our review found solid evidence that climate change and its social-ecological effects have become major drivers for forced migration worldwide; particularly in developing countries and weak or fragile states. Numerous case studies (e.g. Kenya, Sudan, Bangladesh, Mexico) add to this evidence. The literature also shows that environmentally induced migration often adds to existing vulnerability and fragility in both the migrant population and the target country. The review also revealed a significant gap especially in social work literature where climate change or other environmentally induced migration is not sufficiently recognized as such, which may impair the quality and effectiveness of evidence based practice in social work in working with these populations.

Implications

We suggest that social work research, within studies of international migration, forced migration, and undocumented immigration follow the trend of other academic disciplines and focus more on environmental factors in migration. Social workers will no doubt have to deal with the impacts of climate change and other environmental factors on human migration and resulting issues such as poverty, trauma, oppression or conflict. Social work practice needs a stronger evidence base to appropriately account for the environmental factors in migration issues and render interventions more effective.