Droughts augment youth migration in Northern Latin America and the Caribbean

• Published in: Climatic change Vol. 140; no. 3-4; pp. 423 - 435
• Main Authors: Baez, Javier, Caruso, German, Mueller, Valerie, Niu, Chiyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Age groups; Atmospheric Sciences; Central America/Caribbean; Climate; Climate change; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Climatic data; Disasters; Drought; Droughts; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Economics; Employment; Environmental impact; Households; Hurricanes; Labor market; Migration; Natural disasters; Policies; Rain; Regional planning; Social protection; Youth; Caribbean area; Latin America; ASW, Caribbean Sea; Gross Domestic Product; Tropical Rainfall Measure Mission; Drought Intensity; Hurricane Intensity; Standard Deviation Increase
• ISSN: 0165-0009; 1573-1480
• DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1863-2

While evidence on the linkages between migration and climate is starting to emerge, the subject remains largely under-researched at regional scale. Knowledge on the matter is particularly important for Northern Latin America and the Caribbean, a region of the world characterized by exceptionally high migration rates and substantial exposure to natural hazards. We link individual-level information from multiple censuses for eight countries in the region with natural disaster indicators constructed from georeferenced climate data at the province level to measure the impact of droughts and hurricanes on internal mobility. We find that younger individuals are more likely to migrate in response to these disasters, especially when confronted with droughts. Youth exhibit a stronger inclination towards relocating to rural and small town settings, motivated possibly by opportunities for nearby off-farm employment and financing limitations for urban transport and living expenses. Migration decisions are mediated by national institutional arrangements. These findings highlight the importance of social protection and regional planning policies to reduce the vulnerability of youth to droughts in the future and secure their economic integration.