ECSP Report 4: Special Reports

Environmental Degradation and Migration The U.S.-Mexico Case Study, by The Natural Heritage Institute

In ECSP Report Issue 3, we published the initial findings of the Natural Heritage Institute’s (NHI) U.S.-Mexico Case Study on Desertification and Migration. Following is a detailed account of the conclusions and recommendations to policymakers from NHI’s final report entitled Environmental Degradation and Migration: The U.S./Mexico Case Study. This report presents the findings of a four-year investigation led by Michelle Leighton of the NHI, a nonprofit, public interest environmental organization. NHI seeks to broaden understanding about the interrelationship between the social, economic, demographic, and natural resource management-related determinants of transnational migration.

Solving China’s Environmental Problems: Policy Options from the Working Group on Environment in U.S.-China Relations, by Aaron Frank

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is becoming an increasingly important player in international affairs, given its staggering 1.2 billion population, growing military and economic power, and ability to affect regional stability in Asia and important global issues. The United States realizes that it needs Beijing’s cooperation to achieve regional and international objectives, yet many contentious issues continue to strain the U.S.-PRC relationship. Environmental issues, however, have the potential to serve not only as a building block for U.S.-PRC cooperation but also as a model for how the United States will engage other developing nations with similar environmental problems.