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A Study of Strategies for Handling Climate Migration

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A Study of Strategies for Handling Climate Migration Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2019/15 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Who’s responsible? A study of strategies for handling climate migration My Andersson DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER Master thesis in Sustainable Development 2019/15 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Who’s responsible? A study of strategies for handling climate migration My Andersson Supervisor: Jörgen Ödalen Subject Reviewer: Elin Jakobsson Copyright © My Andersson and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2019 Content Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................... 6 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Purpose and Research questions ............................................................................................ 1 1.2. General outline of the study ................................................................................................... 2 2. Background .................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1. Climate change and migration ................................................................................................ 2 2.2. Dealing with climate migration .............................................................................................. 3 3. Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 4 3.1. Choice of method and material .............................................................................................. 4 3.2. The different actors ................................................................................................................ 8 3.3. Building the result ................................................................................................................ 10 3.4. Limitations ........................................................................................................................... 10 4. Problem definition and framing ................................................................................................. 11 5. Strategies for handling climate migration ................................................................................. 12 5.1. Victims ................................................................................................................................. 12 5.1.1. Research: Hodgkinson & Young ........................................................................................ 12 5.1.2. Think-tank: New Economic Foundation ........................................................................... 14 5.1.3. International environmental organisation: Environmental Justice Foundation ............. 15 5.1.4. Summary of the victims framing ......................................................................................... 16 5.2. Security threats ..................................................................................................................... 17 5.2.1. Research: Myers ................................................................................................................. 17 5.2.2. Think-tank: The Council on Foreign Relations ................................................................. 18 5.2.3. Intergovernmental organisation: High representative and the European Commission ... 19 5.2.4. Summary of the security threats framing ............................................................................. 19 5.3. Adaptive Agents ................................................................................................................... 20 5.3.1. Research: Black et al. ......................................................................................................... 20 5.3.2. Think-tank: UNU-EHS ...................................................................................................... 21 5.3.3. International humanitarian organisation: IOM .............................................................. 22 5.3.4. Summary of the adaptive agents framing ............................................................................ 23 5.4. Political Subjects .................................................................................................................. 23 5.4.1 Research: Bronen ................................................................................................................ 24 5.4.2. International humanitarian organisation: Displacement solutions ................................ 25 5.4.3. Summary of the political subjects framing .......................................................................... 27 6. Theories on responsibility ........................................................................................................... 27 6.1. Responsibility and justice ..................................................................................................... 27 6.1.1. Contribution to the problem ................................................................................................. 28 6.1.2. Ability to pay ....................................................................................................................... 28 6.1.3. Beneficiary pays .................................................................................................................. 29 6.2. Applying theories of responsibility on climate migration .................................................... 29 6.2.1. Victims ................................................................................................................................. 29 6.2.2. Security threats .................................................................................................................... 30 6.2.3. Adaptive agents ................................................................................................................... 31 6.2.4. Political subjects .................................................................................................................. 32 6.3. Concluding analysis ............................................................................................................. 33 7. Summarising discussion and conclusion .................................................................................... 34 8. Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ 37 9. References ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Who’s responsible? A study of strategies for handling climate migration. MY ANDERSSON Andersson, M., 2019: Who’s responsible? A study of strategies for handling climate migration. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 2019/36, 40 pp, 30 ECTS/hp Abstract: The issue of climate migration has long been struggling to make its way onto the international agenda. This study therefore set out to shed a light on eleven strategies for handling climate migration. The study builds on the work by Ransan-Cooper et al. (2015) where they allocate actors to four different frames depending on how the actor in question view the environmental migrant, either as; a victim; a security threat; an adaptive agent or; a political subject. This makes out an important comparative basis for the analysis done in this study. It also provides a background on problem definition and framing and the role it plays in policy making. This study then takes the step to also present solutions to the problem defined by presenting concrete strategies which can all be allocated to one of the four frames. The core ideas of the strategies and the solutions they provide are presented using a content analysis. In addition, the question of responsibility for climate migrants is discussed using three normative theories: contribution to the problem, ability to pay and beneficiary pays. The study concludes that there is a consensus among most actors that there is a need for global cooperation and shared responsibility for climate migration and climate migrants. It also concludes that the way a problem is defined or framed plays a highly important role. Keywords: climate migration, climate change, framing, problem definition, sustainable development. My Andersson, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE- 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden Who’s responsible? A study of strategies for handling climate migration. MY ANDERSSON Andersson, M., 2019: Who’s responsible? A study of strategies or handling climate migration. Master thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 2019/36, 40 pp, 30 ECTS/hp Summary: Climate change is threatening to redraw the map of the world. Sea levels are rising, ecosystems are changing, and food and water supplies are declining. This is
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