DOI
10.22191/buuj/7/1/3
Faculty Sponsor
Robert Holahan
Abstract
Among the greatest threats of climate change is the significant impact on mass displacement, particularly as it relates to Mexico-US immigration. Low crop yields from worsening climate conditions have been linked to increased migration of Mexican farmers. With a projected 4.2 million additional migrants in the foreseeable future, it poses a contemporary environmental, social, and political dilemma. This policy brief analyzes several provision proposals to be adopted into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as evaluated under economic cost, equity, environmental impact, and feasibility criteria. My research concludes that the most effective and direct provision proposal is the implementation of adaptive farming to protect small-scale farmers against the adverse effects of climate change. The policy benefits both American and Mexican governments by mitigating financial losses from low crop yield, limiting Mexico-US immigration, and building climate resilience for farmers. This serves as a model for addressing the global increase of climate refugees and can help predict climate change-driven migration patterns in rural areas around the world.
Recommended Citation
Liang, X. (2021). Addressing the Role of Climate Change in Agriculture and Mexico-US Immigration. Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.22191/buuj/7/1/3
Included in
Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Health Policy Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Social Justice Commons
