Climate Change and Migration in Maldives
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Georgetown Journal of International Affairs |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | on-line article |
| Description | The words climate change, migration, and islands evoke images of “climate change refugees” fleeing from paradise as the ocean mercilessly rises over pristine beaches. These representations rarely hold in reality. Phrases such as “climate refugees” and “climate migrants” are severely criticized in scientific literature, and many islanders object to the terms. Maldives is a perfect case to illustrate how islanders view links between climate change and migration. The country, an Indian Ocean archipelago with 1,190 islands grouped into 26 low-lying coral atolls, has its highest point just 2.4 meters above sea level. Unless policymakers understand the islanders’ thoughts on migration as a climate change adaptation option, efforts to implement climate change adaptation policies are destined to fail, hurting the people whom the policies were designed to help. |