Abstract

There are several highly diverse connections between the Anthropocene and migration. If we date the beginning of the Anthropocene to coincide with the Industrial Revolution, the importance of migration in this context becomes immediately evident. The Industrial Revolution not only caused major migration movements (from rural exodus to international labour migration), but also made them possible and fuelled them as well. However, this article does not focus on migration as a factor in the emergence of the Anthropocene, but on Anthropocene-induced migration. In doing so, the article addresses two main questions: (1) How are environmental factors conceptualized in migration research, and (2) how can we understand the impact of environmental factors on migration in the Anthropocene adequately? The paper ends with the formulation of key research desiderata.