Original scientific paper
ECOLOGICAL MIGRATIONS
Milan Mesić
; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb
Abstract
The author first abandons the concept according to which the human migrations can only be considered in „historical“ era. He does not agree with ecological migrations being marked as sub-species of primitive migrations, and points to the fact that certain forms of ecological migrations are still existing today; new mass ecological migrations are to be expected in the near future.
According to the author, migrations occur at the same time man had emerged (somewhere at the turn of the epoch to Pleistocene); his primary relationship with the nature can be characterized as „usurping“ (Clark) and is forcing him to continuous moving. The „Neolithic Revolution“ brings out sedentary tendencies, and migrations are appearing as something „abnormal“, as an expression of natural, social and cultural disorder. Simultaneously, there appeared the alternative form of life - nomadic life, which has remained till our days. Archaeological and other findings are suggesting that migrations - the ones ecologically induced - did play certain role in the genesis of the most ancient civilizations (Egypt, Sumer, China). But the civilizations could also have declined for
the ecologically forced migrations, as was the case with Mycenae. Even the „Great Migration of Peoples“ was instigated by global cooling.
From the industrial revolution onwards man had started to cumulatively affect not only the local environment but the global climate as well, forming „greenhouse gases“ and causing „greenhouse effect“ to occur, which might soon result in millions and millions of ecological emigrants. Owing to raising of environmental consciousness and gradually ever greater public insight into uncontrolled environmental pollution, the migrational outflows from the zones of greater pollution to the zones of lesser pollution can be expected.
Keywords
colonization; ecological emigrants; ecological migrations; historical migrations; migrations; nomadism; pre-historic migrations; primitive migrations
Hrčak ID:
137531
URI
Publication date:
15.4.1992.
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