Climate change and involuntary migration: implications for food security

Reviews the findings of studies on refugee livelihoods and on the economic and ecological transformations in refugee receiving areas, paying particular attention to situations where the reception of displaced populations has been of long-term benefit to hosting economies. The recognition that environmental change can be associated with forced migration has made an important contribution to debates over who should be the legitimate beneficiaries of international relief, but the term "environmental refugee' is misleading conceptually and is legally and institutionally unfounded. As the group of potential recipients of assistance expands, some of the mainstays of refugee protection are being undermined. -from Author