Although climate change cannot be isolated from the other social, political, environmental, and demographic factors that together shape migration, human-driven environmental change adds very important dimensions of equity and responsibility into the equation. While research has greatly evolved from environmental deterministic explanations to more sophisticated accounts of migration in the context of climate change, migration is still often either framed as a ‘problem to be solved’ or as a ‘solution to be managed’. This chapter seeks to demystify the mainstream security and adaptation frames upon which analyses of climate and migration interactions rely. Examples from Africa and Asia are used to illustrate the political, and not environmental, nature of human migration in the context of climate change.

Utilizing contemporary information and analysis, this innovative Handbook provides an in-depth examination of the major analytical questions pertaining to migration and asylum, whilst discussing key areas such as work, welfare, families, citizenship, the relationship between migration and development, asylum and irregular migration. With a comprehensive collection of essays written by leading contributors from different world regions and covering a broad range of disciplines including sociology, geography, legal studies, political science, and economics, the Handbook is a truly multidisciplinary reader.