Transnational Society in Light of Environmental Change

Abstract

AbstractTransnational practices, including the sending and receiving of remittances, have increasingly attracted the attention of policy makers. Such practices are very appealing to them as they have the potential to reduce poverty in regions of origin and to constitute a significant share of national economies. This chapter aims to discuss how the governance of transnational practices, and of remittances in particular, might contribute to the mitigation of and adaptation to environmental change. A ‘migration as adaptation’ discourse here provides the general conceptual framework that connects transnational practices and environmental change together. This in turn assists reflection on the ways in which migrants might act as transformative agents in transnational societies when facing degrading natural environments, whether due to climate change or disasters.