We present the new chapter of the Entreterres Guide on ecological emergency and environmental migrations that we have done in collaboration with Ecologistes en Acció

The Entreterres Guide is an educational guide on migrations in the Mediterranean. The objective of this set of materials is to provide tools to educational entities, schools and institutes in order to address the subject of migrants with young people and children, from a perspective of peace building and social transformation. Precisely, the name of the resource aims to rescue the etymological meaning of the Mediterranean word (mediterraneus) and a vision of the old Mare Nostrum as a space for exchange, communication and encounter. Until now the guide consisted of five chapters: Mare Mortum, Human Rights, Racism, Gender and LGTBIQ+ and Social Transformation. Now we present the sixth and final chapter of this educational resource, which we have done in collaboration with Ecologistes en Acció, and which deals with the ecological emergency and one of its consequences: environmental migrations.

This resource will give you theoretical and practical tools to understand the relationship between the environment and migrations, the context in the Mediterranean, environmental debt in the global south and how all these factors intersect with gender inequalities. You will find activities for children and young people from 9 to 12 years old, from 12 to 16 years old and from 15 to 18 years old. Check out the last chapter of the Entreterres Guide on ‘Ecological emergency, fleeing environmental collapse’.

Environment and migrations

Changes in the environment, whether caused by the dynamics of nature or by human action, are very diverse and can produce temporary or permanent migrations according to their typology. There are people who are forced to migrate, but they want to return home as soon as the problems have been solved, but there are also those who decide to live a new life in a different place.

Currently, environmental migrations are one of the main types of migrations in the world. However, there is still no clear record of these phenomena, due to the diversity of factors that can cause these forced displacements and the lack of importance that has been given to this issue, until the climate emergency has been recognized internationally.

If we talk in terms of internal displacements (those forced migrations where people do not leave their country of origin), of which we have a more complete record, it is clear that the greatest engine of this type of migration is due to the reasons related to environmental disasters (32.6 M of people), above the displacements forced by conflict and violence (28.3 M of people). To find out more, check out the new chapter of the Entreterres Guide!