Reimagining the environment-migration-conflict nexus

The environment-migration-conflict nexus comprises a wide-ranging set of dynamics, with environmental change shaping migration and conflict, conflict driving environmental change and migration, and migration degrading the environment and fueling conflict. This special issue of Environment and Security seeks to reimagine the relationships between environment, migration, and conflict, particularly in the context of climate change. Rather than review or address the environment-migration-conflict nexus writ large, the analyses focus on discrete contexts and opportunities where progress may be achieved. Toward this end, the special issue focuses on two specific contexts (rural-to-urban migration and refugee camps) and four specific opportunities (environmental cooperation, resilience, migration with dignity, and a decision framework to inform long-term climate responses in contexts affected by conflict and forced displacement). This introductory article provides brief overviews of: current trends, patterns, and relationships in the environment-migration-conflict nexus; the existing international frameworks for managing migration related to climate change; and the other articles included in the special issue.