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Free keywords:
European Union; climate migration; climate adaptation; securitization; disaster displacement
Abstract:
This chapter examines the European Union’s (EU) evolving approach to climate change-induced migration. It describes the shift from a security-centric perspective to a development-oriented approach emphasizing adaptation and resilience-building in the Global South, highlighting a persistent tension between security and adaptation or development narratives, in which different actors and narratives have variably pushed forward and retreated. A review of official and unofficial EU communications and discursive tools tracks the history of human mobility approaches in the EU, demonstrating points at which political sensitivities and uneven national interests have hindered the establishment of a cohesive policy framework. Despite Commissionled efforts, concrete measures to manage climate-induced migration remain limited. Reactive crisis management rather than proactive policy development often characterized EU efforts. The chapter underscores the EU’s unique potential to lead global climate migration governance, calling for more integrated policy responses to respond to human mobility more generally and to specifically harness migration as a strategy for climate change adaptation and sustainable development.
