Inequality and Climate Change Inégalité et changement climatique

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Inequality and Climate Change
to them, individuals who temporarily flee the worst environmental impact, like
Tsunami, hurricane, etc., are ‘environmental emergency migrants’. Whereas,
‘environmentally forced migration’ is the compulsion to move to avoid worsening
environmental deterioration. It is a relatively slower process, which may or
may not leave a choice for the affected individuals to return to their original
place. The third category is environmentally motivated migration, under which
people move from an area of gradually deteriorating environment. The process
of migration here tends to be slow. Socio-economic factors assume a significant
role in this case, unlike the two previous categories. Migration processes vary
in the last two categories at global level, given the difference in vulnerability
of the group involved. Among the three categories, ‘environmentally emergency
migrants’ tend to require the maximum support for suitable alternative livelihood
strategies and sustainable development. Therefore, while the emergency migrants
would require immediate attention, the motivated ones would need information
on alternative livelihood opportunities, safety and protection, and infrastructural
support.
It is quite difficult to record, isolate or pin the displacements and migration
caused by environmental degradation, due to multiplicity of factors leading
to migration. Policy makers are unable to frame suitable policies to effectively
contain or assist environmental migrants, for want of proper definitional pinning.
The need to categorise the different migration processes arises from the fact that
it can help in the formulation of suitable policies at national and international
levels. Policy solutions for coping, support and adaptation would differ based on
the type of migration. This requires researchers to identify factors that induce and
affect environment-induced migration that would contribute to the development
of policy framework to establish the adaptation and migration nexus (Stal and
Warner 2009). Furthermore, people who decide not to move would also require
support in terms of land management techniques, besides training to adopt or
change employment. This would involve consideration of the impacts on children
and women especially, as environmental changes are found to influence male and
female migration differently (Findley 1994; Henry, et al. 2004; and Renaud et al.
2011), which requires different policy prescription at local and international level.
Additionally, the government may use legislative measures to prevent returnee
migrants or original residents from staying in the affected locality due to risk of
recurring hazards (as in the case of floods), by demarcating the area as a danger
zone.
Although all countries and people are affected by climate change, its impact
distribution tends to be unequal and skewed towards the poorest, who lack
sufficient economic, technical, institutional and scientific capacity to adapt or
cope. This is true of countries as well as people, of whom the poor find it hard
to respond to climate change. Rural areas are the most vulnerable to climate