Trapped or staying put: Governing immobility in the context of climate change

Abstract

By presenting a range of outcomes which result from the impacts of a changing environment on human mobility patterns, the Foresight Report on Migration and Global Environmental Change emphasized that, whereas some people choose to stay in a specific location, others are simply unable to leave, leading to what the report termed “trapped populations”. Much understanding about both voluntary and involuntary immobility in the context of environmental or climatic change has been gained since. The IPCC's recent report on climate change impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation further underlined that, in the decades ahead, some people will be unable or unwilling to move away from locations in which they may nevertheless be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. What has received less attention is how climate immobility ought to be governed and which norms should underpin its governance. In this paper, we rely on select existing law and policy instruments and frameworks from Latin American and the Pacific Islands regions to outline key considerations of a governance structure suitable for (in)voluntary immobility. This will inform individuals, communities, and policy makers who seek to navigate through complex reasons and decisions for “staying put” or “getting stuck” in the face of climatic change. The analysis builds upon a review of published literature and, especially, existing policy and legal frameworks at national and regional levels. We argue that a more widespread, timely and proactive approach to policy and governance is required in support of resilience in the context of climate immobility.

Ten new insights in climate science 2023

“…While climate mobility has been the focus of climate change and human mobility policy, there are now emerging calls for governance of climate immobility (Naser et al, 2023;Thornton et al, 2023). Addressing involuntary immobility requires policy initiatives that reduce the need to move and measures that increase people's ability to move, for example by reducing legal and political barriers to mobility.…”

“…There is some hope that immobility may be recognized in climate finance through the loss and damage fund (Thornton et al, 2023); yet, the lack of attention it has received within loss and damage governance in comparison to climate-induced migration, disaster displacement, and international security raises uncertainty about its inclusion (Jackson et al, 2023). This is supported by the recent findings of Mombauer et al (2023), which indicate that only a minority of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) integrate considerations for populations unwilling or unable to move (Box 6).…”