Abstract
Climate change remains a threat as it impairs environmental, economic, and social instability. It poses significant risk that include, but are not limited to, the dispersion of people within and across geographical regions. In this study, we investigate the intricate relationship between climate change and migration dynamics, focusing on Asian migrants to the Russian Federation. The study used the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model with annual data from 1997 to 2022 to analyze migration flow to Russia as a result of climate change and other push factors from their home country. Our findings reveal that temperature anomalies are a significant push factor in migration flow, especially in the long run. Additional push factors, such as unemployment, were found to exert influence on migration patterns. An implication of the study is that the impact of climate change may not be immediately apparent, but when it does occur, it can play a significant role in driving migration, along with other factors. This further suggests that the primary effect of climate change is the increased frequency of migration and displacement of people to search for better living conditions and opportunities. Our analysis highlights the nuanced role of climate in migration decisions, urging policymakers to consider climate-specific strategies to address the growing issue of displacement. We recommend that the government should invest in adaptation measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data used in this study were obtained from open-source repositories (investing.com and climate policy uncertainty) and its freely available. However, they could be provided upon request.
Notes
Menozzi, C. (2021). International migration 2020 highlights. https://www.un.org/en/desa/international-migration-2020-highlights.
References
Adamo, S.B., Izazola, H.: Human migration and the environment. Popul. Environ. 32(2–3), 105–108 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-010-0130-0
Bilsborrow, R.E., Henry, S.J.F.: The use of survey data to study migration–environment relationships in developing countries: Alternative approaches to data collection. Popul. Environ. 34(1), 113–141 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-012-0177-1
Black, R., Adger, W.N., Arnell, N.W., Dercon, S., Geddes, A., Thomas, D.: Migration and Global Environmental Change: Future Challenges and Opportunities. Migration and Global Environmental Change]. The Government Office for Science, [Foresight (2011a)
Black, R., Adger, W.N., Arnell, N.W., Dercon, S., Geddes, A., Thomas, D.: The effect of environmental change on human migration. Glob. Environ. Change. 21, S3–S11 (2011b). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.001
Cattaneo, C., Beine, M., Fröhlich, C.J., Kniveton, D., Martinez-Zarzoso, I., Mastrorillo, M., Millock, K., Piguet, E., Schraven, B.: Human Migration in the era of Climate Change. Rev. Environ. Econ. Policy. 13(2), 189–206 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rez008
Chudik, A., Mohaddes, K., Pesaran, M., Raissi, M.: Long-Run effects in large heterogeneous Panel Data models with Cross-sectionally correlated errors. In: Essays in Honor of man Ullah, vol. 36. Emerald Group Publishing Limited (2016)
Cottier, F., Salehyan, I.: Climate variability and irregular migration to the European Union. Glob. Environ. Change. 69(102275) (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102275
De Haas, H.: A theory of migration: The aspirations-capabilities framework. Comp. Migration Stud. 9(1), 8 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-020-00210-4
De Sherbinin, A., Grace, K., McDermid, S., Van Der Geest, K., Puma, M.J., Bell, A.: Migration Theory in Climate Mobility Research. Front. Clim. 4, 882343 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.882343
Gignarta, T.S., Guan, Z., Borojo, D.G.: The impacts of Economic Freedom and Institutional Quality on Migration from African Countries. South Afr. J. Econ. 88(3), 242–266 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1111/saje.12254
Gray, C., Wise, E.: Country-specific effects of climate variability on human migration. Clim. Change. 135(3–4), 555–568 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1592-y
Grecequet, M., DeWaard, J., Hellmann, J.J., Abel, G.J.: Climate Vulnerability and Human Migration in Global Perspective. Sustainability. 9(5), 720 (2017). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9050720
Hashem Pesaran, M., Yamagata, T.: Testing slope homogeneity in large panels. J. Econ. 142(1), 50–93 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2007.05.010
Hauer, M.E., Fussell, E., Mueller, V., Burkett, M., Call, M., Abel, K., McLeman, R., Wrathall, D.: Sea-level rise and human migration. Nat. Reviews Earth Environ. 1(1), 28–39 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-019-0002-9
Hoffmann, R., Dimitrova, A., Muttarak, R., Crespo Cuaresma, J., Peisker, J.: A meta-analysis of country-level studies on environmental change and migration. Nat. Clim. Change. 10(10), 904–912 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0898-6
IOM, IOM Global Data Institute Thematic Brief):. Climate Change and Future Human Mobility (1;. International Organization for Migration. (2022). https://www.migrationdataportal.org/resource/iom-global-data-institute-brief-climate-change-and-mobility
Kaczan, D.J., Orgill-Meyer, J.: The impact of climate change on migration: A synthesis of recent empirical insights. Clim. Change. 158(3–4), 281–300 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02560-0
Lewis, W.A.: Economic Development with unlimited supplies of labour. Manch. School. 22(2), 139–191 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.1954.tb00021.x
Massey, D.S.: Theory of migration. In: Nternational Encyclopaedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, pp. 9828–9834. Elsevier (2001)
Massey, D.S., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., Taylor, J.E.: Theories of International Migration: A Review and Appraisal. Popul. Dev. Rev. 19(3), 431–466 (1993). https://doi.org/10.2307/2938462 JSTOR
Mueller, V., & Gray, C. Heat and adult health in China. Popul. Environ, 40, 1–26 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-018-0294-6
Mueller, V., Sheriff, G., Dou, X., Gray, C.: Temporary migration and climate variation in eastern Africa. World Dev. 126, 104704 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104704
National Immigration Forum (NIF):. Environmental Migration: Finding Solutions for the 21st Century. (2023). https://immigrationforum.org/article/environmental-migration-finding-solutions-for-the-21st-century/
Olga, C., Mikhail, D.: Russia: A Migration System with Soviet roots. Migration Inform. Source (2017). https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/russia-migration-system-soviet-roots
Perch-Nielsen, L., Bättig, S.B., M., Imboden, D.: Exploring the link between climate change and migration. Clim. Change. 91(3–4), 375–393 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-008-9416-y
Pesaran, M.H.: General diagnostic tests for cross-sectional dependence in panels. Empir. Econ. 60(1), 13–50 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-020-01875-7
Rigaud, K.K., de Sherbinin, A., Jones, B., Bergmann, J., Clement, V., Ober, K., Schewe, J., Adamo, S., McCusker, B., Heuser, S., Midgley, A.: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration. Policy Note, vol. 1. World Bank Group (2018)
Shaw, R., Luo, Y., Cheong, T.S., Abdul Halim, S., Chaturvedi, S., Hashizume, M., Insarov, G.E., Ishikawa, Y., Jafari, M., Kitoh, A., Pulhin, J., Singh, C., Vasant, K., Zhang, Z.: Asia. In: Pörtner, -O., Roberts, D.C., Tignor, M., Poloczanska, E.S., Mintenbeck, K., Alegría, A., Craig, M., Langsdorf, S., Löschke, S., Möller, V., Okem, A., Rama, B. (eds.) Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H, pp. 1457–1579. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA (2022). https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844.012
Stark, O., Bloom, D.: The new economics of labor migration. Am. Econ. Rev. 75(2), 173–178 (1985)
Thiede, B.C., Robinson, A., Gray, C.: Climatic Variability and Internal Migration in Asia: Evidence from Integrated Census and Survey Microdata [Preprint]. (2022). https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/hxv35
Twinomuhangi, R., Sseviiri, H., Kato, A.M.: Contextualising environmental and climate change migration in Uganda. Local Environ. 28(5), 580–601 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2023.2165641
Valei, A., Mamman, S.O.: Does flexible migration policy spur competitiveness in the labor market? A case of migrants in the Russian Federation. RUDN J. Econ. 29(4), 673–688 (2021). https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-2329-2021-29-4-673-688
Valei, A., Mamman, S.: Does Institutional Quality Matter for International migrants in their home and host country? A case of Russian Federation. Spat. Econ. 18(3), 42–62 (2022). https://doi.org/10.14530/se.2022.3.042-062
Warner, K., Ehrhart, C., de Sherbinin, A., Adamo, S., Chai-Onn, T.: In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement. Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE (2009). http://www.careclimatechange.org
Acknowledgements
The article has been prepared with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Ural Federal University Program of Development within the Priority-2030 Program).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Competing interest
All authors have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Babangida, J.S., Mamman, S.O. & Derbeneva, V.V. Beyond borders: exploring the migration-climate change dynamics of Asian migrants to Russian Federation. Lett Spat Resour Sci 17, 6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12076-024-00373-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12076-024-00373-z