Migration as Climate Change Adaptation

Migration may be an important component of climate change adaptation, especially for residents of low-income countries. Individuals may migrate away as a coping mechanism in response to unforeseen and sudden environmental shocks, such as droughts, floods, or earthquakes. One key policy challenge is how to design migration options that will allow workers to access labor markets safely and legally. This project studies the poverty impact of providing rural Mexican workers living in highly climate-prone areas with a legal short-term seasonal work visa to live and work in the agricultural sector in the United States through a preexisting randomized process. Researchers are tracking a sample of workers (those who receive an H-2A visa) as they move from Mexico to the United States and are interviewing them in both Mexico and the United States. Researchers also are tracking a sample of comparison workers (those who do not receive an H-2A visa), interviewing them in Mexico, and following up either in-person in Mexico or remotely if they have moved. The number of available visas is set independently of this evaluation.