Climate Migration: Adding Fuel to the Ethnocentric Fire

ABSTRACT

While conflict, crime, and terrorism are persistent geopolitical and human security threats, climate change can be a threat multiplier, affecting geopolitical stability on local, regional, and global scales. This paper provides a qualitative assessment of the literature and geopolitical trends related to climate change, migration, and ethnocentrism in order to evaluate the current situation and future potentials for climate-driven conflict, crime, terrorism, and ethnocentric extremism. The paper concludes that as climate change becomes a major driver of environmental degradation, natural disasters, mass migrations, and urbanization, this will escalate the impetus for violence against migrants, the exploitation of migrants, and anti-migrant politics. Potential implications in terms of terrorism and extremism are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate change
• migration
• ethnocentrism
• conflict
• crime
• terrorism

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Nathan P. Jones, Associate Professor, Sam Houston State University for his comments on an earlier version of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

John P. Sullivan

John P. Sullivan is an honorably retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, specializing in emergency operations, transit policing, counterterrorism, and intelligence. He is currently an Instructor in the Safe Communities Institute (SCI) at the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California. Sullivan received a lifetime achievement award from the National Fusion Center Association in November 2018 for his contributions to the national network of intelligence fusion centers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College of William and Mary, a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis from the New School for Social Research, and a PhD from the Open University of Catalonia.

Keeley Townsend

Keeley Townsend is an independent researcher, freelance writer, and former government analyst. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography/Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Master of Arts in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware–Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, and Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management from Pace University–Lubin School of Business. https://www.linkedin.com/in/keeley-townsend-8962139/