"The State of Environmental Migration 2010" Publication of PSIA Student Research

As we read, we were struck by the quality of the papers, many of which could be mistaken for the work of scholars. Second, though the areas of focus spanned the globe, most of the cases occurred (or saw turning points) in 2010. Thus, we set out to assemble the best student papers into this compendium, “The State of Environmental Migration 2010.”

--Editors, "The State of Environmental Migration 2010", posted on ReliefWeb

Professor François Germenne, who teaches the course "Migration and the Environment" recently supervised the compilation of written work by PSIA students enrolled in his course, culminating in publication. "The State of Environmetnal Migration 2010" is co-edited by the Institut du développment durable et des relations internationales Sciences Po (IDDRI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

It is not so often that a university professor
gets the chance to write the foreword of a
volume put together by Masters’ students.
But I have to say that this project is exceptional
in many regards.

- Professor Laurence Tubiana, Scientific Advisor for the Master in Environmental Policy, International Development, and Development Practice at PSIA, Director of the IDDRI.

We came upon the idea for this volume as we read student term papers for a course at Sciences Po in Paris. The course, “Environment and Migration”, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the world, examines the complex relationship between environmental change and migration flows. Created by Sciences Po in 2010, the course serves as part of the Master’s Degree Program offered by the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA).

For their final assignment, students were asked to select and analyse a case of environmental migration, be it a sudden and violent natural disaster or a slow-onset environmental degradation.