Policies and mechanisms to address climate-induced migration and displacement in Pacific and Caribbean small island developing states
| Pages | 86-104 |
| Published date | 08 January 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0055 |
| Date | 08 January 2018 |
| Author | Adelle Thomas,Lisa Benjamin |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Environmental issues,Climate change |
Policies and mechanisms to
address climate-induced
migration and displacement in
Pacific and Caribbean small island
developing states
Adelle Thomas and Lisa Benjamin
University of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to assess policies and mechanisms in Caribbean and Pacific small island
developing states (SIDS) that address climate-induced migration and displacement. The migration of
communitiesaway from vulnerable regions is highly likely to be an adaptation strategyused in low-elevation
SIDS, as the impacts of climate change are likely to result in significant loss and damage,threatening their
very territorial existence.SIDS must ensure that residents relocate to lessvulnerable locations and may need
to consider international movement of residents. Ad hoc approaches to migration and displacement may
result in increased vulnerability of residents, making the development and enforcement of comprehensive
nationalpolicies that address these issues a necessity.
Design/methodology/approach –Interviews with United NationsFramework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) negotiatorsfor SIDS as well as analysis of secondary data, including IntendedNationally
Determined Contributions,are utilized to determine policies and mechanisms in place thatfocus on climate-
induced migrationand displacement.
Findings –While climate change is acknowledged as an existential threat, few SIDS have policies or
mechanisms in placeto guide climate-induced migration and displacement. Potentialexists for migration and
displacement to be included in policies that integratedisaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation
along with national sustainable developmentplans. Regional bodies are beneficial to providing guidance to
SIDS in the development of nationally appropriate frameworks to address climate-induced migration and
displacement.
Originality/value –Existinggaps in policiesand mechanisms and challenges faced by SIDS in developing
strategies to address climate-induced migration and displacement are explored. Best practices and
recommendationsfor strategies for SIDS to address migration and displacementare provided.
Keywords Small island developing states, Climate-induced migration, Loss and damage
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Small island developing states (SIDS) have been identified as being on the frontline of
climate change. While the islands vary in physical features and socioeconomic
© Adelle Thomas and Lisa Benjamin. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is
published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce,
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IJCCSM
10,1
86
Received8 March 2017
Revised27 April 2017
14June 2017
Accepted15 June 2017
InternationalJournal of Climate
ChangeStrategies and
Management
Vol.10 No. 1, 2018
pp. 86-104
EmeraldPublishing Limited
1756-8692
DOI 10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0055
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1756-8692.htm
characteristics, they all have a similar level of sustainable development and physical
exposure which together leadto extreme vulnerability to climate change (UN, 2005;Kelman
and West, 2009). Although SIDS are exposed to a number of climate change impacts
including higher atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, changing rates of precipitation,
increased intensity of extremeevents and decreased fresh water availability, sea level rise is
arguably the most threatening challenge facing the many low-elevation SIDS whose
populations mostly reside in coastal zones (McGranahan et al., 2007;Kelman and West,
2009;IPCC, 2014). In addition to large coastal populations, vulnerable subgroups within
these states include the elderly, children, women, impoverished communities, the disabled
and rural inhabitants (Hashim and Hashim, 2016). Low levels of development or uneven
development, as well as maladaptation, can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities (Nansen
Initiative, 2015). As a result, it is important that any policies or mechanisms that are
developed do not further disadvantagealready vulnerable groups.
Low-elevation SIDS face coastal erosion owing to a number of factors in addition to sea
level rise, including more locally determined drivers such as impacts from extreme events
and wave energy patterns (Albert et al.,2016). Anthropogenic changes to shorelines such as
development practices,shoreline protection measures and land reclamation also affectlevels
of erosion and in some cases may lead to coastal accretion (Ford, 2011;Albert et al.,2016).
However, as projections of sea level rise increase, there is decreased potential for SIDS to
retain their current terrestrial territories without significant levels of adaptation measures
(Oliver-Smith, 2009). Indeed, sea level rise threatens the very existence of SIDS, as
championed by members of the Allianceof Small Island States (AOSIS) with their “1.5°C to
Stay Alive”campaign, that highlights the importance of curbing global temperature
increases to prevent existential threats to small islands (Benjamin and Thomas, 2016). The
permanent loss of land and resultantmovement of people are examples of loss and damage
impacts of climate change thatcannot be avoided (Durand and Huq, 2016).
As sea level rise, along with coastal erosion and more intense extreme events,
increasingly affects low-elevation SIDS, it is highly likely that people living in these
impacted regions will be significantlyimpacted, leading to both displaced people, thosewho
have been forced to move, and migrants,people who are driven by special circumstances to
move, but do so voluntarily (NansenInitiative, 2015). While both terms are used throughout
this paper, it often difficult to distinguish clearly between migration and displacement
(Kolmannskog and Trebbi, 2010). These phenomenaare complex and multifaceted, and can
include both domestic and international relocation as well as the partial movement of
communities. In addition, it is difficult to attribute migration and displacement solely to
climate change, as othersocioeconomic and cultural factors, such as age, numberof children,
income and religion, may also influence decisions to migrate, particularly in lesser
developed countries such as SIDSthat face a host of development challenges (Mortreux and
Barnett, 2009). Estimates of the number of migrants and displaced people induced by
climate change vary widely and are based on general assessments of risk exposure, rather
than on localized study of mobility associated with environmental change (Barnett and
Webber, 2010). However, projections of future climate stimulated migration and
displacement are helpful in providinga sense of potential scale of the issue, and in drawing
attention to the likely movement of SIDS residents. On a global scale, estimates of climate-
induced migrants range from 200 million to 1 billion by 2050 (Tacoli, 2009). In a study of
Southeast Asian and Pacific islands,Wetzel et al. (2012) find that owing to the loss of coastal
zones, between 8 and 52 million people would be displaced from their current residences,
depending on the rates of sea level rise experienced. It is, therefore, highly likely that
migration will be anadaptation strategy used by SIDS.
Climate-
induced
migration and
displacement
87
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