Difficult Decisions: Migration from Small Island Developing States under Climate Change

The impacts of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are leading to discussions regarding decision-making about the potential need to migrate. Despite the situation being well-documented, with many SIDS aiming to raise the topic to prominence and to take action for themselves, limited support and interest has been forthcoming from external sources. This paper presents, analyzes, and critiques a decision-making flowchart to support actions for SIDS dealing with climate change-linked migration. The flowchart contributes to identifying the pertinent topics to consider and the potential support needed to implement decision-making.

The flowchart has significant limitations and there are topics which it cannot resolve. On-the-ground considerations include who decides, finances, implements, monitors, and enforces each decision. Additionally, views within communities differ, hence mechanisms are needed for dealing with differences, while issues to address include moral and legal blame for any climate change-linked migration, the ultimate goal of the decision-making process, the wider role of migration in SIDS communities and the right to judge decision-making and decisions. The conclusions summarize the paper, emphasizing the importance of considering contexts beyond climate change and multiple SIDS voices.

Kelman, I. (2015), Difficult decisions: Migration from SIDS under Climate Change, Earth’s Future.

Are you sure you want to delete this "resource"?
This item will be deleted immediately. You cannot undo this action.
File Name File Size Download
migration_sids_under_climate_change.pdf 176 KB

Related Resources

Research
06 Jun 2018
Vulnerability reduction and resilience building of communities are central concepts in recent policy debates. Although there are fundamental linkages, and complementarities exist between the two concepts, recent policy and programming has focused mor...
Tags: Research, Resilience and Disaster Risk Management
Case Study
12 May 2014
Cox’s Bazar District is in the Bay of Bengal, at the south-eastern corner of Bangladesh, bordering Myanmar. It is particularly vulnerable to the tropical cyclones that frequently hit the region, causing deadly storm surges and wind damage. The wors...
Tags: Case Study, Hurricane / Typhoon / Cyclone
Guidance material
23 Dec 2013
Many national climate change adaptation plans consider the need to plan over various timescales and acknowledge the essential role of local communities in addressing the changing risks. The Minimum Standards for local climate‐smart disaster risk...
Tags: Guidance material, Climate Change Adaptation, Community Engagement and Accountability, Hurricane / Typhoon / Cyclone, Urban Preparedness
Scroll to Top