“The place where I live is where I belong”: community perspectives on climate change and climate-related migration in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu

Abstract

ABSTRACT:In recent years, narratives of the 'climate refugee' have abounded within the larger conversation regarding climate change. However, anthropologies from climatevulnerable Pacific Islands-particularly those most targeted by 'climate refugee' discoursehave determined that the way many media outlets and policy specialists speak of climaterelated migration is sensationalized, over-simplistic, and unrepresentative of how Pacific Islanders approach the issue. Aimed at illustrating how local context can add necessary nuance to the 'climate refugee' narrative, this paper investigates community perspectives on climaterelated migration within a Pacific Island that has not yet been covered in the literature-the Melanesian country of Vanuatu. Based on qualitative fieldwork in Port Vila, Vanuatu, I explore the positions of ni-Vanuatu policymakers and climate activists regarding migration linked to climate change and argue that these be incorporated into policy analyses of climaterelated migration in the Pacific. I find that ni-Vanuatu perspectives reflect an unwillingness to resettle as a result of climate change unless as a last resort, a prioritization of in-situ adaptation measures, and a preoccupation with maintaining cultural and livelihood links should resettlement occur. The implication of these findings is that policies that center these perspectives would allow for community control over movement-including the decision of whether to relocate at all. It will also emphasize prevention and minimization of the circumstances that precipitate climate-related migration. These findings serve as an original contribution to the topic of climate-related migration in Vanuatu-on which no scholarship has been done previously-and as representative of similar island nations.

Small island perspectives on climate change

“…The papers in this special thematic section examine a wide geographical range of islands (see Figure 1), with three in the South Pacific (Beyerl et al, 2018;Perkins & Krause, 2018;Perumal 2018), one in the Caribbean (Robinson, 2018), and one in the British Isles (Petzold, 2018). Two papers discuss islands groups which are extraterritorial lands and which are not SIDS (Ferdinand, 2018;Schwebel, 2018), and one takes a theoretical approach (Kelman, 2018).…”

“…Also from the South Pacific, Perumal (2018) draws from data collection in Vanuatu to challenge some of the reductionist narratives of climate change related migration and the often sensationalist use of the label 'refugee'. Specifically examining the perspective of ni-Vanuatu policymakers and climate activists, this research uncovers a reluctance to relocate at all due to climate change: Moving is truly a last resort, and the preference is for in situ adaptation and maintenance of cultural and livelihood continuity.…”

Does climate change influence people’s migration decisions in Maldives?

“…In particular, the "refugees" and "forced migration" trope highlights the supposed situation of movement being involuntary and leaving one's country of origin directly because of impacts from climate change. This assumption contrasts with the interviewees expecting and presuming that they choose how and when they migrate and that they will have destination choices, including remaining within their country-similar to the findings in Vanuatu (Peruma 2018).…”

Climate change, ecosystem services and migration in the Marshall Islands: are they related?

“…Mortreux and Barnett (2009) found in Funafuti (Tuvalu) that respondents hardly cite climate as reason to migrate, and they criticise outsiders' view of migration as adaptation because it involves much cultural loss. Similarly, research from Vanuatu reveals a strong reluctance to resettle and a prioritisation of in situ adaptation measures (Perumal 2018). In a study of Kiribati, Allgood and McNamara (2017) found that climate-induced migration and displacement was already common.…”