2018/02/12 by Sonja Ayeb‐Karlsson, Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, Chris Smith +2 · 13 citations
Social Sciences · #Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration #Disaster Management and Resilience #Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s13280-017-1007-6
First mooted in 2011, the concept of Trapped Populations referring to people unable to move from environmentally high-risk areas broadened the study of human responses to environmental change. While a seemingly straightforward concept, the underlying discourses around the reasons for being 'trapped', and the language describing the concept have profound influences on the way in which policy and practice approaches the needs of populations at risk from environmental stresses and shocks. In this article, we apply a Critical Discourse Analysis to the academic literature on the subject to reveal some of the assumptions implicit within discussing 'trapped' populations. The analysis reveals a dominant school of thought that assisted migration, relocation, and resettlement in the face of climate change are potentially effective adaptation strategies along a gradient of migrant agency and governance.