Navigating tomorrow’s horizons: exploring the interplay of environmental factors in mobility decision-making among migrants in the Lowlands

ABSTRACT

Despite the growth of research in environmental migration, less research has been done on how migrants consider environmental change and weather events when making future migration decisions. Furthermore, little is known about how transnational ties are considered in this process. In this study, 36 migrants living in the Netherlands and Belgium participated in an individual or group interview or in a focus group discussion. In accordance with the framework of Findlay (2011), participants preferred not to migrate, despite climatic factors encouraging migration decisions and local weather conditions not being appealing. Return migration was preferred at a later stage of life, where dependence on the natural environment was less relevant to their livelihood. Most of this return migration was temporary, especially given the distinct welfare systems and larger dependence on these systems in the later life phases. Finally, climate risks and climate-related stress, as well as emotions related to changes to the natural environment (‘solastalgia’), were mentioned, which especially occurred in younger participants’ narratives.

KEYWORDS:

• Environmental migration
• environmental change
• migration decision-making
• ageing
• solastalgia
• climate change

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lore Van Praag

Lore Van Praag (Master, PhD Ghent University) is Assistant Professor at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. Her research interests are social and ethnic inequalities, transnationalism, migration, environmental change, and diversity.

Sie-Long Cheung

Sie-Long Cheung is Assistant Professor at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her interest lies in the sociology of migrants, health, and intergenerational solidarity.