Given the significant, irreversible impact of climate change on human migration, policy corresponding to the specific needs of these situations would already be expected to exist. But, although the EU is a leading actor in climate governance, the author finds that its policymaking reflects a more limited and fragmented approach to climate migration.
So, in this study, how the European Union conceptualizes climate-induced migration is examined, a growing global challenge that calls for more inclusive protection frameworks.
Using content analysis, the author examined 62 legal and policy documents published between 2009 and 2024. The use of climate change and migration-related concepts, both separately and interrelatedly, is analysed using MAXQDA through both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The research was also supported by Michel Foucault’s governmentality perspective.
Findings show that the EU’s conceptualization of climate-induced migration and its use of a human rights–based approach remain limited. It is concluded that the EU’s governmentality of climate-induced migration is characterized by slow and constrained policymaking, and the need for a more holistic and rights-based framework is highlighted.
Learn more about this paper here: https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.70095
Reference
Bozkaya, Ö. (2025). The European Union’s Governmentality of Climate-Induced Migration: A Need for Reconceptualisation. International Migration, 63(5)