Research Feature: Understanding the role of environmental and social conditions on the migration of Marshallese Islanders
Dates
Date Received
2018-01-16
Citation
Research Feature: Understanding the role of environmental and social conditions on the migration of Marshallese Islanders: Pacific Islands CASC.
Summary
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a nation of widely dispersed, low-lying coral atolls and islands, with over 100 square miles of land area scattered across 750,000 square miles of ocean. Average elevation for the RMI is approximately 7 feet above mean sea level, but many islands and atolls are much lower. As climate change causes sea level to rise and weather patterns to shift, the Marshall Islands are increasingly having to contend with flooding and drought that damages agriculture, homes, and infrastructure. Residents are increasingly making the difficult choice to leave their home islands in the hope of a more stable future, moving within the country to larger islands or to the United States where the Compact of Free [...]
Summary
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a nation of widely dispersed, low-lying coral atolls and islands, with over 100 square miles of land area scattered across 750,000 square miles of ocean. Average elevation for the RMI is approximately 7 feet above mean sea level, but many islands and atolls are much lower. As climate change causes sea level to rise and weather patterns to shift, the Marshall Islands are increasingly having to contend with flooding and drought that damages agriculture, homes, and infrastructure. Residents are increasingly making the difficult choice to leave their home islands in the hope of a more stable future, moving within the country to larger islands or to the United States where the Compact of Free Association allows them to live and work without a visa. Factors triggering human migration are complex and often intertwined, making it difficult to pinpoint and address specific causes. Our work investigates the multi-causal nature of Marshallese migration to better understand the extent to which climate stressors and their impacts are driving migration.
