Climate Change Induced Migration in the Mekong Delta

Climate change has increasingly been linked to migration in developing nations, largely through the impacts of extreme weather events and the threat of sea level rise. In the media and politics, migration has been framed as a... [ view full abstract ]

Climate change has increasingly been linked to migration in developing nations, largely through the impacts of extreme weather events and the threat of sea level rise. In the media and politics, migration has been framed as a crisis, but it can also be characterized as a coping strategy or adaptive response to climate change. Populations in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam are particularly vulnerable to displacement caused by extreme weather events and rising seas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The first part of my study covers current and future migration patterns. I will use conceptual frameworks of linkages between environmental change and migration (Black et al. 2011 and Perch-Neilsen et al. 2008) to study existing patterns of migration and future trends. The second part of my study will investigate the role that national, provincial, and local governments will play in facilitating migration. GIS analysis of climate vulnerability models and national census data, and policy analysis of Vietnam’s National Communications and National Target Program to Respond to Climate Change will inform this research. Despite substantial internal migration and the potential for increased displacement due to climate change, migration is largely absent from Vietnam’s climate change adaptation planning.