2021 Recipient

                            Planting Roots: visions for addressing the migration and climate nexus

"It is currently estimated that 1.2 billion people will be displaced by 2050 due to climate change. Considering the rapidly developing climate emergencies, it is imperative to begin aggressively examining emerging climate challenges to avoid future complex crisis scenarios of human displacement. “Planting Roots” looks at the human cost of environmental change, by investigating both the situation on the ground and the legal the framework of mobility for those affected by climate change. We need to work now, concomitantly on these two levels to address the impending climate calamities. 

Within the framework of environmental justice, we will look at ways in which we can address the migration of those affected by climate emergencies. We propose a large research project that will be double-tiered: 1) to analyze the international, national and local legal frameworks that address, assist and mitigate the forced movement of people due to climate change. 2) to develop a large research project in South Asia, with data collection from two sites: a farming community (in Tamil Nadu) and a fishing community (Maharashtra).  

As a part of this project, we are organizing a one-day workshop in Spring 2021, engaging the wider NYU community, and we will prepare a long-term research project involving NYU faculty, staff, and students."