Socio-psychological perspectives on climate-related migration: A systematic review and research agenda

There have been multiple calls to examine the links between climate change and migration across different fields. This article reviews climate-related migration from a socio-psychological perspective. It examines the topics covered in existing literature, the geographical distribution of studies, and the theoretical and methodological frameworks adopted. A systematic search in peer-reviewed databases was conducted, following PRISMA guidelines and covering studies published until 2 June 2023. Peer-reviewed articles focusing on human climate-related migration, reporting empirical data, and addressing socio-psychological dimensions and/or approaches were included. In total, 25 studies were analysed. Results suggested an increasing interest in the topic in the last decade and that most studies focused on internal migrants. From a methodological perspective, we found a lack of studies using critical and participatory methodologies. Additionally, our narrative synthesis suggested that: socio-political and climate vulnerabilities are intertwined; dimensions of place attachment and sense of community are key in explaining how people deal with climate change and decide to remain or to migrate; communities affected by climate change and climate-related migration face health and well-being challenges. Finally, a few studies suggested the importance of looking at public attitudes towards climate migrants and recognising climate justice dimensions in climate migration. We critically discuss these and other results and possible avenues for future research in the fields of social and community psychology.