This book presents the updated results of an investigation carried out in 2019. The National Autonomous University of Mexicos (UNAM) Climate Change Research Program (PINCC), funded the research coordinated by Armelle Gouritin. The research aims to answer the following questions: Does the Mexican legal framework and public policies address forced internal climate mobility? If not, what could be the elements of a legal framework and public policies to address the phenomenon? As the phenomenon was approached it was clear that it was extremely complex and consisted of numerous tensions that would lead to other questions throughout the research process.

Climate forced internal displacement is projected as a huge-scale phenomenon in Mexico. Against this background, the book provides the first critical diagnosis of the current politico-legal Mexican framework and finds it to be lagging behind in terms of prevention and attention. The book analyses the three-level Mexican governance(federal, state and local levels), and identifies serious loopholes according to a rights-based approach that particularly focuses on women, indigenous peoples, and persons and communities with scarce economic resources. The results provide information on up-coming legislative and political processes and provide benchmarks that can be applied in other case-studies, including other national frameworks critical analysis.

Armelle Gouritin is a lawyer. She is a Conacyt Professor commissioned to Flacso México since November 2016. Her research agenda is mainly dedicated to environmental law with a focus on international law, regional law and environmental responsibility; and the link between human rights and environmental protection. In her books, chapters and articles she formulates legal and public policy proposals.
Her research projects place special emphasis on the integration of human rights and environmental responsibility to achieve environmental justice (distributive, procedural and corrective). She has critically investigated the link between human rights and environmental protection with respect to environmental responsibility (approach: international, inter-American and European Union law); the link between human rights, damage caused by hydrocarbons, climate change, environmental risks generated by new technologies, and biodiversity (anthropocentric and eco-centered approach). Another area of research is the special situation of indigenous peoples and their environmental rights.

Dr. Gouritin has carried out studies for consultancies, NGOs, and public institutions on climate change (in Mexico), the rights of children with disabilities (in France), the prohibition of hate speech (in France), environmental responsibility (for the European Commission), and environmental rights (in Europe).  She has a degree in Public International Law from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, with master's degrees in International Law from the Free University of Brussels and in Human Rights from the Saint Louis University (Brussels). She has a doctorate in Law from the Free University of Brussels.

Introduction.- Chapter 1:  Approaching the Phenomenon: The Junction between migration and climate change impacts.- Chapter 2. Analytical grid: Territory and Human rights.- Chapter 3. Legal framework and public policies shortcomings.- Chapter 4. Shortcomings at the sub-national level: Illustration with the state of Tabasco.- Chapter 5. Addressing the phenomenon in Mexico: Risks from the protection requirements Perspective.- Conclusions.