Operationalizing and empirically identifying populations trapped in place by climate and environmental stressors in...

In this paper, we propose a guiding operational definition and corresponding set of empirical steps to identify and study trapped populations. Trapped populations consist of actors who are highly vulnerable to climate and environmental stressors given limited resources (economic, social, etc.), which limit their ability to adapt to these stressors in-situ or by choosing to migrate. Informed by both insights and omissions from prior theoretical and empirical research, we propose a guiding operational definition of trapped populations that appreciates and incorporates actors' limited resources and their migration intentions against the backdrop of climate and environmental stressors. As it should, our operational definition points to a specific set of operations, or steps, which can be followed to empirically identify and study trapped populations. Using data from the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS), we detail the steps permitting both retrospective and prospective identification of trapped populations. We conclude by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our operational definition and empirical approach, as well as possible extensions.