Environmental change poses risks to societies, including disrupting social and economic systems such
as migration. At the same time, migration is an effective adaptation to environmental and other risks.
Wereview novel science on interactions between migration, environmental risks and climate change.
Wehighlight emergent findings, including how dominant flows of rural to urban migration mean that
populations are exposed to new risks within destination areas and the requirement for urban
sustainability.We highlight the issue of lack of mobility as a major issue limiting the effectiveness of
migration as an adaptation strategy and leading to potentially trapped populations. The paper presents
scenarios of future migration that show both displacement and trapped populations over the
incoming decades. Papers in the special issue bring new insights from demography, human geography,
political science and environmental science to this emerging field.