The securitization of environmental migration by the European Political Right

Abstract

Prevailing assumptions on the environment-migration nexus suggest that environmental change will cause mass migration to the Global North. However, critics point to its poor empirical precision and lack of conceptual clarity (White, 2017; 175) (Boas et al., 2019). Recently, the European political right, often associated with climate skepticism, has increased its engagement with environmental politics. With stronger competition from green parties, numerous news-stories and commentors now speak of the environment as the political right's new "battleground". Yet, few (if any) have systematically and empirically inquired into the intersection between the political right's inclination to securitize immigration and the environment-migration nexus. This study intervenes using securitization theory exploring the extent to which the European political right has securitized environmental migration. The discourse analysis of the conservative right (British Conservative Party) and the far right (Rassemblement National [RN]) between the years 2012-2021, results in a focused discovery indicating an increasing tendency to securitize environmental migration among the political right. This tendency is comparatively stronger among the Conservative Party. The conclusion hypothesizes that the political right will...