Environment, Climate Change and Migration in South Asia

Climate change has been fueling migration, and, according to some policy reports, there could more than one billion climate migrants/refugees across the world by 2050. In South Asia, disasters, environmental degradation, and climate change are increasing the number of migrants every year. In South Asia, like other parts of the world, migrants and displaced people mainly move within their respective countries, but some cross the porous border. At most places, the migrants and displaced people face hostile situation as they are not welcome by their local host population.

The chapters in the book highlight the challenges and inadequacies of governments and communities in protecting the environment as well as the disproportionate effect that climate change has on the poor and marginalized groups. The book also discusses the gendered experiences of climate-related migrations and policy measures which need to be implemented to counter forced displacements and environment degradation along with the legal and institutional resources which could help mitigate climate change and protect climate refugees.

This book will be of interest to students and researchers of development studies, ecology and environment, migration, sociology, law and governance, human ecology, climate change and economics.

Amit Ranjan is Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. His latest book is Urban Development and Environmental History in Modern South Asia (edited with Ian Talbot). His papers, review essays and book reviews have been widely published in many journals.

Rajesh Kharat is Founder Director of the School of International Relations and Strategic Studies, and Dean, Humanities, University of Mumbai. He is Professor and former Chairperson at the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has published several books and research papers on contemporary issues of South Asia.

Pallavi Deka is a researcher on ecological politics and society in/of North East of India. She teaches political science at Department of Political Science, Handique Girl’s College, Kamrup, Assam, India.