IBS Speaker Series: Who are the climate migrants? Investigating the moderating role of social networks and livelihoods on climate-induced mobility in Bangladesh.

In-person or via Zoom link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/95248394614 – email ibs-contact@colorado.edu for password.

*Light lunch served at 1145, please RSVP.

Speaker:  Amanda Carrico

Abstract: Migration has long been used as a strategy for households to access economic opportunity and manage environmental risk. As climate change intensifies in the 21^st Century, environmental stress is expected to play an even larger role in population mobility around the world. This observation has sparked questions about the extent to which climate change might shift the patterns and processes of migration itself, including who is most likely to migrate. I investigate this question using survey data and retrospective migration histories from households in the environmentally vulnerable region of southwestern Bangladesh. More specifically, I investigate how livelihood activities and social ties to other migrants moderate the effect of extreme weather on migration. I look at these relationships separately for internal and international trips. I will also present preliminary findings from a recent longitudinal follow-up with a subset of households. With this second round of data collection, supported by a CUPC seed grant, we are examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected migrants, their families, and land use change in migrant-sending regions.

Bio: Dr. Carrico is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Trained as an environmental psychologist, Dr. Carrico’s research examines behavioral responses to environmental stress – particularly migration, livelihood adaptations, and household-level actions to mitigate environmental risk. Her recent work has been funded by the US National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the City of Boulder. For several years, Dr. Carrico has led the Bangladesh Environment and Migration Survey (BEMS) which collects sociodemographic data about migration, climate change adaptation, and economic conditions in Bangladesh. In addition to her research, Dr. Carrico is an associate deputy editor with the journal Climatic Change, an elected member of the APA’s Board of Scientific Affairs, and directs the CU Center for Sustainable Landscapes and Communities. Dr. Carrico joined the University of Colorado in 2014 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment.