Session 19.2

ABSTRACT

Grappling with the question of climate migration, I will discuss how new models intersect strongly with current and historic processes of marginalization and social network ties. As current climate crises unfolds, it is increasingly clear that those most affected by it tend to be the least responsible for the change. Further, historic processes of marginalization intersect with new patterns of hazards and risks due to climate change. Taking the lens of climate justice, this presentation discusses how the most marginalized people have able to stay in the most environmentally marginal lands, left unwanted by colonizers and more affluent groups historically. In contrast, there are critical questions that remain about "hard limits" to adaptation that force resource constrained communities to move while more affluent areas invest in forms of hard infrastructure. This talk draws examples from the reorganization of Ancestor Puebloan and Hohokam peoples to the contemporary challenges faced in the four-corners region and along the U.S.-Mexico border today. I will also draw examples from affluence U.S. coastal communities and resource constrained anecdotes from the Global South.

ABSTRACT

In the face of accelerating climate change, environmental migration has emerged as a pressing issue, particularly for highly vulnerable countries such as Mexico, where long-standing structural inequalities amplify exposure to climate-related risks. While environmental drivers of migration are increasingly acknowledged, the institutional capacity to address the governance challenges they entail remains underexplored and politically marginal. This research seeks to fill this gap by examining how environmental migration is conceptualised and discussed in Mexico, and by identifying the institutional capacity gaps that constrain timely, coordinated, and equitable responses.

The study addresses two core research questions: (1) How is environmental migration addressed in Mexico? and (2) What institutional capacity gaps hinder effective responses? To answer them, the research adopts a qualitative approach combining documentary analysis of selected policy and planning instruments, 14 semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners working on climate and migration, and an in-depth case study of El Bosque, the first community in Mexico officially recognised by the federal government as climate-displaced. To guide the analysis, the study employs and adapts the institutional capacity framework developed by Cid et al. (2024), structured around eight analytical dimensions: planning instruments, technical and human capacities, financial resources, political will and prioritisation, coordination and integration, public participation and agency, knowledge, research and data, and climate justice. A distinctive contribution of this research is the explicit integration of climate justice as an analytical dimension, positioning equity and rights at the centre of institutional analysis.

The findings show that environmental migration is increasingly present in diagnostic assessments and policy reports, yet institutional responses remain fragmented, reactive, and underdeveloped. National-level recognition of climate-related mobility has not translated into coherent strategies or clear mandates for action, leaving municipalities, where the impacts of climate change are most acutely felt, without adequate technical or financial support. The El Bosque case illustrates both the potential and the limitations of current practice: while local authorities responded to imminent risks, their efforts were constrained by limited resources and expertise. Crucially, meaningful action was accelerated not by institutional planning but through pressure from civil society and the media, underscoring the absence of formal participation mechanisms for affected communities. This disconnection between national recognition and local implementation highlights one of the most significant institutional gaps.

By applying and adapting a capacity-focused framework, this research contributes to the limited scholarship on environmental migration in Mexico, bridging debates on climate adaptation, migration governance, and institutional resilience. It also advances the integration of climate justice as both a principle and an analytical lens to understand the systemic inequalities that shape vulnerability and displacement. Beyond diagnosis, the research points to concrete entry points for institutional strengthening. These include the development of a national strategy that bridges climate, migration, and disaster management policies; the designation of a lead coordinating agency; expanded technical and financial support for municipalities; and the creation of participatory mechanisms that give affected communities, particularly rural, indigenous, and marginalised groups, a meaningful role in shaping responses. Civil society and international organisations also have a vital role to play in advocacy, capacity-building, and regional cooperation. At the same time, academia should expand participatory and interdisciplinary research to ground policy design in lived experiences further.

Ultimately, this research underscores the urgency of moving beyond fragmented, crisis-driven responses and toward more coordinated, participatory, and justice-based approaches to environmental migration in Mexico. Strengthening institutional capacity, integrating climate justice, and empowering affected communities are essential not only to address displacement more effectively but also to advance broader climate resilience and human rights agendas.

ABSTRACT

Legal Responses to (Im)Mobility in the Context of Climate Change: A Study of Mexico-Argentina and Mexico-Canada Pathways This study critically examines legal responses to climate-induced migration pathways from Mexico to Argentina and Canada, highlighting gaps in current frameworks and policies. Employing a comparative case study approach, it explores how regional, national, and sub-national protections reflect post-colonial and gender-responsive perspectives, grounded in Feminist Political Ecology. By analyzing legal instruments and scholarly sources, the research interrogates migration governance across Global South and Global North contexts, revealing limitations and opportunities for more equitable, rights-based climate migration policies. The findings contribute to advancing decolonial and structural justice approaches in the evolving climate-migration legal landscape in the Americas.