This paper, written in 2021, explores how loss and grief is experienced through forced displacement and planned relocation in the Pacific and the subsequent implications that Pacific peoples have faced after being ‘removed’ from their homelands and ‘moved’ to a foreign land. The loss of ecological culture, cultural heritage, and generational trauma experienced by Pacific communities raises the question of whether planned relocation and displacement threatens their right to life with dignity. Drawing on the case of forced relocation of Banabans during colonial times and cases of recent climate-related relocation of communities in Fiji, this paper emphasizes the need to consider the psychosocial impacts on Pacific communities and cultures as well as the less tangible and immeasurable ramifications of being ‘uprooted’. These case studies can inform current dialogues and planning of contemporary and future relocations of Pacific communities by raising questions of sovereignty, sense of belonging and participation and identifying ways to uphold Pacific Island people’s right to life with dignity, irrespective of whether they decide to move or to stay.

This article examines the relationships between conflict, climate change, and disaster in forced displacement contexts. We present these nexus dynamics through the case of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who are exposed to climatic hazards and other vulnerabilities that threaten their lives and livelihoods. Having fled persecution by the Myanmar military, Rohingya refugees face a range of conflict- and climate-related risks, both in the overcrowded and disaster-prone camps in Cox's Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char where Bangladeshi authorities have relocated tens of thousands of people. The protracted refugee crisis has exacerbated social tensions between the Rohingya and host communities; limited access to resources and exposure to significant hazards that exacerbate conflict-induced displacement challenges. This paper contributes to the nascent literature on the region's conflict, climate change, and disaster displacement nexus by examining how cascading risks and state fragility contribute to increased instability. The article demonstrates the need for a more nuanced understanding of how conflict-induced displacement leads to new threats and vulnerabilities in hazard-prone environments.