Governing migration from a distance: interactions between climate, migration, and security in the South Mediterranean

Abstract

Links between security and migration are well established and are associated with the meaning, status, and practice of borders in the international political system. This article assesses how and with what effects the effects of environmental and climate change have entered this relationship between migration and security. It does so by assessing the EU’s external governance of migration in “South Mediterranean Partner Countries” (SMPCs): Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia. It is argued that a focus on promoting “adaptation” and building “resilience” has developed that is consistent with the logic of governing migration from a distance. However, the article challenges ideas that environmental/climate change act as simple migration “triggers” and instead explores implications of movement towards and not away from risk, as well as the potential for populations to be trapped in areas that expose them to risk. It is shown that both have important implications for the relationship between migration, environmental/climate change, and security in SMPCs.

Keywords:

• migration
• climate change
• security
• South Mediterranean

Acknowledgements

The conceptual framework on which this paper is based was developed as part of the UK Government Office for Science Foresight project on Migration and Global Environmental Change, by the project Lead Expert Group (Foresight 2011). The views expressed are those of the author, and not of the UK government.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Andrew Geddes is Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield and, for the period 2014--19, has been awarded a European Research Council Advanced Grant for the project Prospects for International Migration Governance (MIGPROSP).