Regional evidence of environmental mobility in Southeast Asia

Author(s)
Mongkon Thongchaithanawut, Marion Borderon, Patrick Sakdapolrak
Abstract

In recognition of the complex and context-specific interplay between environmental change and human mobility, regionally focused systematic reviews have been acknowledged as very valuable. No such review exists for Southeast Asia (SEA), despite being a region that is significantly shaped by human mobility and a hotspot of environmental change. In this article, we aim to close the gap by systematizing the empirical literature on the causes and consequences of human mobility in the context of environmental change in SEA. The review is based on 63 scientific publications derived from the CliMig database and supplemented by additional backward and author-citation search methods. The empirical evidence from SEA reveals several overarching themes that are consistent with global trends in the environment-mobility nexus. In particular, we highlight the importance of remittances—both financial and social—as key mechanisms that facilitate adaptation to environmental uncertainty. We also identify several specific areas of research that require further investigation in the context of SEA, including the conditions faced by migrants in destination areas and the dual-nature impacts of remittances on both the household and the migrant’s perspective.

Organisation(s)
Department of Geography and Regional Research
Journal
Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography
Volume
45
Pages
533-562
No. of pages
30
ISSN
0129-7619
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/sjtg.12562
Publication date
08-2024
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
507002 Population geography
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Geography, Planning and Development, Earth-Surface Processes
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/9b20aa10-f509-4310-b801-1a228f3300f2