Lesson 7 Flashcards
Climate Migration is About More Than Just Climate Change
- People don’t move just because of climate change. They move because they are poor, lack support, or their governments don’t help them.
- For example, when a flood destroys a home, richer people can rebuild or move easily, but poorer people often get stuck.
- Why It’s Important: We can’t solve climate migration without fixing big issues like poverty and unfair systems.
Bettini, G. (2017), Where Next? Climate Change, Migration, and the (Bio)politics of Adaptation. Global Policy, 8: 33-39 (7 pages).
The Stories About “Climate Refugees” Are Wrong
- Some people say climate change will cause huge groups of “climate refugees” to come to other countries, but this is not true.
- Most people move within their own countries, not across borders.
- Migration happens because of many reasons (like war, money, and politics), not just climate change.
- Example: People say the Syrian war was caused by drought. But the real reasons include bad politics and poverty.
Bettini, G. (2017), Where Next? Climate Change, Migration, and the (Bio)politics of Adaptation. Global Policy, 8: 33-39 (7 pages).
Migration as Adaptation to Climate Changes is Not Always Good
- Some plans say migration is a way to “adapt” to climate change. For example:
If farming fails because of drought, people can move to cities for work.
The Problem:
* This puts the responsibility on poor people to fix their problems, instead of giving them help where they are.
* It doesn’t help the poorest people, who cannot afford to move.
* Many policies only allow temporary work migration, which benefits richer countries but doesn’t solve the migrants’ problems.
Bettini, G. (2017), Where Next? Climate Change, Migration, and the (Bio)politics of Adaptation. Global Policy, 8: 33-39 (7 pages).
A Better Idea: Climate Justice
Climate justice means recognizing that richer countries cause most of the climate change, but poorer countries suffer the most.
Instead of treating migration as a “problem,” we should focus on helping vulnerable people.
Richer countries can give money and resources to help communities adapt so they don’t have to migrate.
Bettini, G. (2017), Where Next? Climate Change, Migration, and the (Bio)politics of Adaptation. Global Policy, 8: 33-39 (7 pages).
Othering
Treating certain people or places as “different” or “lesser,” often justifying control or exclusion.
Diego Andreucci, Christos Zografos, Between improvement and sacrifice: Othering and the (bio)political ecology of climate change, Political Geography, Volume 92 (2022)
How Does Othering Work in Climate Change?
Sacrifice Zones: Some areas are treated as acceptable to exploit (e.g., for green energy projects like lithium mining).
Control of Vulnerable Populations: Groups are labeled as “needing improvement” or “at risk,” which allows governments to control or intervene.
Diego Andreucci, Christos Zografos, Between improvement and sacrifice: Othering and the (bio)political ecology of climate change, Political Geography, Volume 92 (2022)
Examples of Othering
Vulnerability Narratives: Framing certain populations as unable to cope with climate change ignores their agency and past resilience.
Green Energy Projects: Renewable energy developments often harm local communities in the name of global climate goals.
The Problem:
These practices continue colonial and capitalist patterns, benefiting the powerful while harming the vulnerable.
Conclusion:
To address climate change fairly, we must tackle these unequal power systems and prioritize justice and inclusion over exploitation.
Diego Andreucci, Christos Zografos, Between improvement and sacrifice: Othering and the (bio)political ecology of climate change, Political Geography, Volume 92 (2022)
Peter Ferguson; Discourses of Resilience in the Climate Security Debate What is it about
The article discusses resilience as a central concept in the climate security debate and identifies four main types of resilience: strategic, neoliberal, social, and ecological.
Peter Ferguson; Discourses of Resilience in the Climate Security Debate. Global Environmental Politics 2019;
Peter Furgeson’s resiliences
Resilience means a system’s ability to handle and recover from disruptions, like climate change impacts.
Strategic Resilience: Focuses on protecting national security and critical infrastructure. Often involves government and military planning.
**Neoliberal Resilience: **Emphasizes individual and market-based solutions, like insurance or financial instruments, but often leaves vulnerable populations at risk.
Social Resilience: Centers on empowering communities to reduce vulnerabilities through collective action and local solutions.
Ecological Resilience:
View: Ecosystems will face shocks, but maintaining their natural balance and adapting to changes can ensure survival.
Peter Ferguson; Discourses of Resilience in the Climate Security Debate. Global Environmental Politics 2019;
Why Climate Change as Security?
McDonald
Climate change is linked to security because it worsens existing challenges, such as conflicts over resources and threats to human livelihoods.
However, there is no agreement on whose security is threatened or the best way to respond.
McDonald M. Climate change and security: towards ecological security?
Different Views on Security:
McDonald
National Security: Focuses on protecting states from conflicts caused by climate change.
Human Security: Prioritizes protecting vulnerable populations from climate impacts.
Ecological Security: Highlights the need to protect ecosystems to ensure survival for all species and future generations.
McDonald M. Climate change and security: towards ecological security?
How to cope with climate changes due to McDonald
Ecological Security Approach:
Shifts focus from humans alone to include ecosystems.
Advocates for ecosystem resilience (the ability to adapt and maintain functions under stress).
Calls for mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) and cautious adaptation.
Challenges:
- Balancing human needs with protecting the environment.
- Making ecosystem protection a priority in global politics.
McDonald M. Climate change and security: towards ecological security?
Climate change impact on human rights
Climate change is one of the greatest threats to human rights.
It impacts basic rights like the right to life, health, housing, and food.
Lavanya Rajamani, ’31: Climate Change’ in D Moeckli, S Shah and S Sivakumaran eds. International Human Rights Law
Challenges with Climate Changes and Human Rights (law)
Paris Agreement
Only human rights mentioned in the preamble, not in the legal provisions.
Lavanya Rajamani, ’31: Climate Change’ in D Moeckli, S Shah and S Sivakumaran eds. International Human Rights Law
Legal obligations: Climate Changes
Paris Agreement
art. 7 (protect people and reduce volnurbelity to people)
art. 11, capacity building
Lavanya Rajamani, ’31: Climate Change’ in D Moeckli, S Shah and S Sivakumaran eds. International Human Rights Law
Climate Change and the Paris Agreement
Climate Change and the Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to below 2°C, with an ideal target of 1.5°C.
Countries must make national plans to reduce greenhouse gases, but there are no binding legal obligations to enforce these plans.
Current commitments are not enough to stop severe climate change impacts.
Alan Boyle, ‘Climate Change, the Paris Agreement and Human Rights’ (2018) 67 ICLQ, 759-777 (19 pages).
