The Lab: Challenges In Research

As I near the half way mark within my placement at the Red Cross Migration Lab I am confronted with a few challenges concerning my research investigation. 

Initially I had some success in locating academic publications concerning migration and mitigation for PacificSmall Island Developing Nations (SIDS), these successes included a lot of background and location specific information. The strongest of these resources came via inputs by J. Campbell within the Contemporary Pacific Journal which included strong theoretical basis in concern of the socio-cultural, economic and political axis of Pacific Island Communities in lieu of climate mitigation and migration. It would appear that almost all other academic sources I investigated in light of my research questions would tactfully incorporate J. Campbell's publications. 

I found that the majority of publications and reports I found were limited in-between release dates of 2012 - 2016. These dates were of specific value for two of my research points, firstly, what migratory pathways and been made accessible between Australia and SIDS from 2012 to 2016 and secondly, I was able to gain access to some in-field research that shed moderate light onto the perspectives and motives of populations residing within SIDS. Although, my research funding between these years did not provide any answers to perspectives and opinions of people who had migrated out of SIDS to large populace nations i.e Australia. 

With help from my team leader at the Red Cross Migration Lab I was steered in the right direction and was able to find many more academic sources published much closer to the present day. This push in the right direction was immensely helpful and has allowed me to once again push forward into fully formulating and executing my Literature review. 

The remainder of this blog will be used to create a little more order in terms of categorising some of the strongest resources I have found thus far and shall be using within each of my research questions. 

1. Does migration enable individuals, families and communities to alleviate the impacts of climate and environmental change in countries of origin? If so, in what ways (e.g. climate change preparedness, disaster risk reduction, resilience, and longer-term adaptation) and how does this occur? 

Bordner, A. S. (2019). Climate Migration & Self-Determination. Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 51(1), 183–252 

Oakes, R. (2019). Culture, climate change and mobility decisions in Pacific Small Island Developing States. Population and Environment, 40(4), 480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-019-00321-w 

Nikita Perumal. (2018). “The place where I live is where I belong”: community perspectives on climate change and climate-related migration in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Island Studies Journal, 13(1), 45–64. https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.50v.

2. What are the humanitarian impacts of migration in the context of climate and environmental change on people, families, and communities, both at home and in countries of destination? How might this change in the future as climate and environmental impacts worsen across the region? 

Farbotko, C. & Lazrus, H. (2012) 'The first climate refugees? Contesting global narratives of climate change in Tuvalu', Global Environmental Change 22 (2012) 382–390

Yamamoto, L. (2020). Climate Relocation and Indigenous Culture Preservation in the Pacific Islands. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 21(1), 150-157. 

Buggy, L. & McNamara, K. (2016) The need to reinterpret “community” for climate change adaptation: a case study of Pele Island, Vanuatu, Climate and Development, 8:3, 270-280, DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2015.1041445

Constable, C. (2017), ' Climate change and migration in the Pacific: options for Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands' Reg Environ Change (2017) 17:1029–1038 DOI 10.1007/s10113-016-1004-5

3. What factors influence the accessibility and inclusivity of migration pathways from the Pacific, and what are the barriers to, and consequences of, migration and mobility for people 

from the Pacific, especially indigenous peoples and people living in outer islands and remote areas? 

The knowledge 

Cass, P. A plan nobody hopes they will need: New Zealand and climate change migration. Pacific Journalism Review, 24(1), 138–154. https://doi- rg.avoserv2.library.fordham.edu/10.24135/pjr.v24i1.426

International Organization for Migration. (2021). Key migration terms. International Organization for Migration. (2020, January 17). https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms. 

Scott, Matthew, & Salamanca, Albert. (2021). Climate Change, Disasters, and Internal Displacement in Asia and the Pacific : A Human Rights-Based Approach. Routledge  

Whilst I have there are many more to add to this list, this list gives insight into the how I have chosen to categorise and flesh out resources so that they can further my understanding and contribute to the Red Cross Migration Labs Funding Objectives.