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Ideas to unite the Latvian and Lithuanian nations within a single state are little-known episodes of the twentieth century. This idea is generally traced back to the closing decades of the nineteenth century. At the end of the First World War, it briefly achieved enthusiastic endorsement from prominent figures from among the Lithuanian émigrés before vanishing into obscurity. Although it did not find wide-spread support, it attracted the interest of numerous individuals and non-governmental societies, re-emerging decades later as an ideal among a small contingent of the Latvian exile community. Transitions between generations and political landscapes resulted in the transformation and reinvention of the imagined state, partially concealing the longevity of the idea.

"Examination of migration histories and current politics in Kenya, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Ghana sheds light on how rights are articulated for groups and individuals displaced in a context of environmental stress and climate change. Both migration and rights are sensitive issues in these case-study countries, and the conjunction of the two is especially sensitive."

The debate over 'environmental refugees' is prominent in the literature on environmental change and human migration. Protagonists in the debate are 'maximilists' and 'minimalists' depending on their support for the concept. This article argues for the use of 'proponents' and 'critics' of the term. A nuanced critique of the 'proponent account' is offered, showing how the 'environmental refugee' is a particular representation of the relationship between environmental change and migration. There are conceptual problems in 'proponent' models, regarding both migration and development. These pertain to a sedentary bias and a reliance on pushpull, neo-classical models of both migration and the migrant. Some accounts are ahistorical and apolitical. The article advocates a research agenda that focuses on the interactions between environmental and nonenvironmental factors in mobility decisions, and that is historically relevant and contextually specific. Keywords: environment, migration, environmental refugee, discourse, representation

A handbill in Berlin

Environmental change in the highlands of Ethiopia contributes, in a variety of ways, to encouraging migration out of rural areas.