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Why climate migration is not managed retreat: Six justifications.
Idowu Ajibade1, Meghan Sullivan1,2, Melissa Haeffner2
1Department of Geography, Portland State University, USA.
Global Environmental Change : Human and Policy Dimensions
|October 27, 2020
Summary
Managed retreat and climate migration are distinct relocation types. Differentiating them improves policy, legal, and economic strategies for climate justice and aids researchers and advocates.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Social Science
- Policy Studies
Background:
- Climate change drives human mobility, leading to complex relocation challenges.
- Current policies often conflate distinct forms of displacement, hindering effective solutions.
- Managed retreat and climate migration require separate conceptual and practical frameworks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advocate for a rigorous distinction between managed retreat and climate migration.
- To highlight how interchangeable use of these terms obscures critical issues.
- To foster better policy, planning, and action for climate-induced mobilities.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis based on six orienting propositions.
- Distinguishing causal mechanisms, legal protections, rights, funding, discourse, land use, and risks.
- Utilizing empirical examples from existing literature.
Main Results:
- Managed retreat and climate migration differ significantly in their drivers, legal frameworks, and socio-economic implications.
- Interchangeable use leads to policy inconsistencies and hinders effective resource mobilization.
- Clear distinctions are essential for targeted interventions and achieving climate justice.
Conclusions:
- Disentangling managed retreat from climate migration is crucial for academic clarity and practical application.
- Recognizing these distinctions can foster alliances and improve institutional pathways for climate justice.
- A transformative justice approach is needed for both climate migration and managed retreat.
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