Internal/International Migration and the Environment

1
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Notes for class
• There are changes from syllabus so check your
  Readers for reading assignments for this half of
  the semester!
• Hand out Living Planet Report, 2004 on Wed.
  (guest speaker April 11)

2
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Internal rural-to-rural, rural-to-urban migration
  (Billsborough Carr)
• Causes
• Environmental consequences
• International migration (Beyond Six Billion, 6
  Million , International Org. for Migration
  2003, Sara Curran)
• Definitions, trends
• Theory
• Globalization
• Future trends, policies
• Impacts on environment

3
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Push factors inducing rural out-migration
  (econ-demographic response)
• high fertility rates.high population density
  pop/ha arable land
• resource degradation and declining yields.food
  insecurity
• limited on-farm/off-farm employment options
• natural or manmade/political crises (e.g.
  earthquakes, floods, civil war, persecution) .
  (environmental) refugees.
• Pull factors inducing rural-rural or rural-urban
  migration
• town/city/free trade zone jobs in growth
  industries or traditional jobs e.g. domestic
  help
• labor demand in commercial, plantation
  agriculture and timber
• colonization (directed/spontaneous) to frontier
  lands for subsistence ag., small ranching
• other pull factors city services, education,
  opportunity.

4
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Examples of rural out-migration from Latin
  America
• Central America/Caribbean
• Steep rural population increase since 1960s,
  delayed demographic transition, relatively high
  pop/ha arable land.
• High deforestation rates, little left to clear.
• Out-migration to frontier lands, cities and the
  U.S.
• South America
• Rural population density relatively low and
  declining with out-migration and reduced
  fertility levels.
• But, deforestation continues in Brazil, Colombia,
  Ecuador, Chile and Argentina, WHY?
• Colonization from poverty-stricken interior
  plus BIG grazing, timber and plantation
  agriculture operations.

5
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Both positive and negative environmental
  consequences of rural out-migration, depending on
  areas of origin and destination, agricultural
  practices and gov. policies
• Rural subsistence to rural plantation
• save land for nature, reduced pop. pressure,
  erosion, deforestation---
• increased use of ag chemicals, abandon
  labor-intensive land practices such as terraces,
  irrigation maintenance, reforestation--- -
• Rural subsistence to rural frontier (e.g.
  Chiapas)
• Same as above----
• Deforestation of frontier lands, soil erosion---
  -
• Rural subsistence to urban
• Same as above remittances finance rural
  improvements back home--- (ex. From Machacos,
  Kenya)
• Increased consumption, waste and pollution in
  urban areas---- -

6
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• With continued population growth, diminishing
  available land and future intensification
  constraints, policy-makers at all levels will be
  challenged to improve the agriculture-population
  nexus in developing countries
• Technical assistance plus credit for crop
  production intensification
• Improve access to reproductive health and
  family-planning
• Better conservation of what is left of the
  tropical forest through high taxation of logging
  concessions, less road-building and involvement
  of local people in NRM.
• Billsborrow and Carr, p. 55

7
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• International Migration Definitions/flows
• International migrants have lived outside their
  homeland for 1 or more years
• 175 million in 2000, about 3.0 of worlds
  population, and growing
• Net migration the difference between the rate
  of in-migration and the rate of out-migration
• Intl migration flows from developing countries
  to richer countries, from relatively high to low
  economically active in agriculture, but not the
  poorest individuals.
• Positive net migration regions/countries
• __________________________________________________
  _
• Negative net migration regions/counties
• __________________________________________________
  _
• Types of migrants
• Economic permanent and temporary or return
• Family reunification/chain migration
• Crisis natural disasters, war
• Political refugees.

8
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Leading theories explaining international
  migration
• Intra-regional and global demographic disparities
  w/corresponding labor surpluses and shortages
  (e.g. Philippines and Japan)
• Intra-regional and global wage/income
  differentials plus dual labor markets within
  developed countries
• Risk management via remittances (missing markets
  back home credit, insurance, social security)
• Migrant networks or chain migration
• Failed states refugees.

9
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• GLOBALIZATION will tend to increase intl
  migration
• Freer movement of information, images, ideas,
  toward one culture
• Reduced costs of transport/communications
• International capital seeks competent, cheap
  flexible labor force (skilled unskilled, brain
  drain)
• Collapse of restrictive regimes, e.g. Soviet
  Union, China??
• Dislocations (e.g. dams) and poverty resulting
  from economic liberalization.for some,
  increased need to seek jobs and remittances via
  out-migration.

10
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• But intl migration may be slowed by
• Creation of free trade/out-sourced jobs in
  LDCs
• Increased costs of illegal immigration (e.g.
  coyotes)
• Anti-immigration sentiment/policies (in response
  to negative impacts on national cohesion, welfare
  state (Europe)
• Post 9/11 xenophobia, visa restrictions,
  security issues
• Other reasons??
• Future of intl migration
• Uncertain numbers, but as population ages in
  Europe, Japan and U.S., societies will need to
  increase labor supply via immigration.
• Policies need to work on full integration of
  immigrant populations to reduce tensions,
  resentment, disenfranchised populations.
• Constructive means to reduce intl migration
  would be increased capital flows and investment
  to reduce poverty in sending countries.

11
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Environmental Impacts of Intl Migration
• On host countries
• ---
• ---
• ---
• ---
• On sending countries
• ---
• ---
• ---
• ---

12
Internal/International Migration and the
Environment

• Environmental Impacts of Intl Migration
• On host countries
• Increased water demand/consumption
• Increased energy consumption air pollution,
  GGE
• Urban sprawl/build-up loss of green spaces
• On the other hand.
• Higher population (economies of scale) may lead
  to investment in mass transit, better urban
  planning
• from taxes of immigrants provide revenue base
  for EPA, maintenance of parks and other services.
• On sending countries
• Reduced deforestation, erosion
• Remittances support increased consumption and/or
  green investment back home
• Brain drain of professionals, scientists to work
  on complex environmental problems in countries of
  origin
• Impact on population/fertility back home can be
  up (given reduced pop. pressure/escape valve -
  Caribbean) or down (demonstration effect or
  social remittances).