Exploring temporal and topical dynamics of research on climate/environment-migration nexus: a critical comparative perspective

Abstract

Research on climate/environmental change and human migration have undergone significant transformations since the early 1990s. Attention by migration-related journals and environment/climate-oriented journals has been uneven. What is absent is a critical comparative approach to this unevenness and the evolving dynamics of the nexus in a continuum. We conducted a critical comparative analysis of six scholarly journals to fill this gap. Based on multi-stage mixed methods, our findings suggest: (1) scholarly research has disproportionately focused on the impacts of X (climate/environmental change effects) on Y (human migration), vulnerabilities, and agency of moving people and broader social and political processes receiving less attention; (2) Compared with migration-related journals, climate/environment-oriented journals have contributed more to research on the climate/environment-migration nexus, with significant differences in their approach and topical selections; (3) 'Migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change' as a theme has shown an unprecedented rise since 2010, with most articles having a skewed emphasis on migration as an individual and unplanned form of adaptation rather than that of planned adaptation; (4) Research on the climate/environment-migration nexus has recently entered the early maturation period, which approximates research into mainstream migration studies. Consequently, we divide the research's last three decades into three stages: prognostic period (early 1990s to early 2000s), transitionary period (early 2000s to 2010), and growth period (2010-present). We suggest that both journal groups embrace more inclusive and diverse foci on different scales.