Climate change and migration in the rural sector of northern Mexico (Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí)

Authors

  • Ana María Aragonés Castañer Institute of Economic Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
  • Uberto Salgado Nieto Institute of Economic Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59670/ml.v14i3.351

Keywords:

climate change, environmentally induced migration, forced migration, droughts, international migration

Abstract

In this paper we study the effects of climate change on rural populations and the circumstances under which some of them are forced to abandon their communities becoming part of international migratory flows. In our study we claim that climate change is a new factor that leads the population to abandon their regions in order to overcome their vulnerability. In our opinion the lack of measures implemented by the State has serious consequences provoking an enormous vulnerability forcing the populations to emigrate. We study two locations in Mexico, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas, analyzing the peasants’ situation working under temporary agricultural production. Using a complementary log-log estimator we found that the migration is the result of adverse economic-climatic conditions, because the poorest populations, which usually depend directly on natural resources, are the most vulnerable to climate shocks and the only way to overcome their vulnerability, has been international migration.

Author Biographies

Ana María Aragonés Castañer, Institute of Economic Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

PhD in law, Full time researcher in the Institute of Economic Research at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

She received his Ph.D. in Labor Law at Université de Montpellier I, France, in 1985. She was awarded with the Fullbright foreign scholarship guest professor by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars-Bureau of Education and Cultural Exchange, U.S. Department of State; she is also member of the National System of Researchers level II at the National Council of Science and Technology (SNI, acronym in spanish). She has also been a guest lecturer in the Research Institute “Gino Germani”, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1998); guest lecturer in Salisbury State University, Maryland, United States (2000-2001); guest lecturer in the Arkansas state university, United States (2001); guest lecturer in the graduate program of the Université de Poitiers, France (2011-to present); she is also columnist in the Mexican Newspaper “La Jornada” from 1993 to present.

Uberto Salgado Nieto, Institute of Economic Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Master in Economics, PhD student in the Institute of Economic Research at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

He is professor of the Postgraduate of Economy program at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), he obtained the degree of masters in economics granted by the UNAM and at the moment it carries out his doctorate studies in the Institute of Economic Research (IIEc, acronym in spanish) of the UNAM, in addition he participates in the Research project "New migratory pattern after the crisis and global competition for talent" coordinated by Dr. Ana María Aragonés in the IIEc, has about 15 participations in national and international seminars that address migratory issues; and has co-authored in over 30 articles published in book chapters and journals specialized in migratory issues both domestic and foreign.

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Published

2017-09-20

How to Cite

Aragonés Castañer, A. M., & Salgado Nieto, U. (2017). Climate change and migration in the rural sector of northern Mexico (Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí). Migration Letters, 14(3), 383–395. https://doi.org/10.59670/ml.v14i3.351

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2017)

Section

Case Studies

License

CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0