Paper details

Paper authors	Oscar A. Gomez
In panel on	Climate Change and Humanitarianism
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

The paper provides an overview of the intersections of climate change, disasters and displacement, particularly in the Asian context, trying to identify how it connects or not to humanitarian work. The overview is divided around three main themes. The first deals with the framing of climate change and disasters as causing migrations, and migration as a threat. It describes the causal mechanisms proposed and how the regional evidence supports or not migration fears. The second theme introduces current efforts to reframe migration as a means to adapt to the effects of climate change. Evidence from existing experience using migration to confront environmental stress, individually by people themselves or through resettlement programs, is reviewed. The third theme refers to emerging issues derived from confronting climate change and disasters on a background of moving populations. Two issues receive specific attention: addressing the needs of migrant populations affected by disaster crises and the role of remittances in responding and recovering from them. The final section analyzes the findings from the perspective of humanitarian studies, suggesting that the forced displacement entry-point for humanitarian action may not be the best way to contribute; while disasters remain a critical option, the relevance of humanitarianism is contested.

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