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Climate, migration, and the local food security context: Introducing Terra Populus
Raphael J Nawrotzki1, Allison M Schlak1, Tracy A Kugler1
1University of Minnesota, Minnesota Population Center, 225 19th Avenue South, 50 Willey Hall, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
Population and Environment
|December 16, 2016
Summary
Environmental factors like climate impact migration patterns. A new data system, Terra Populus (TerraPop), aids these studies, revealing climate-migration links in Burkina Faso and Senegal, influenced by food security.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Demography
- Migration Studies
- Climate Change Research
Background:
- Investigating the links between environmental factors and human migration is complex due to data integration challenges.
- Existing research often lacks the granular spatial and microdata necessary for robust population-environment studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce Terra Populus (TerraPop), a novel data extraction system designed to facilitate population-environment research.
- To explore the influence of local food security contexts on the climate-migration association in Burkina Faso and Senegal.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the TerraPop data extraction system for climate and migration information.
- Approximated food security using anthropometric indicators (child stunting and wasting) from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS).
- Linked DHS data with TerraPop extracts to analyze climate-migration variations.
Main Results:
- Increased heat waves were associated with decreased international migration from Burkina Faso.
- Excessive precipitation was linked to increased international migration from Senegal.
- The negative impacts of heat waves and droughts were significantly amplified in food-insecure regions of Senegal.
Conclusions:
- The TerraPop system effectively supports population-environment studies by integrating diverse datasets.
- Climate-migration dynamics are context-specific, modulated by local food security conditions.
- Food insecurity exacerbates the migratory responses to adverse climate events in certain regions.
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