Climate Migrants’ Right to Enjoy their Culture

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) first observed in 1990 that ‘migration and resettlement may be the most threatening short-term effects of climate change on human settlements’. 1 Numerous studies have since confirmed that climate change – in combination with multiple other ‘stressors’ – will force an increasing number of people across the globe to relocate temporarily or permanently to safer habitats. 2 The threat of forced relocation is particularly urgent for Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu, which are already losing habitable territory as a result of climate change. At the same time, empirical evidence suggests that a significant proportion of people from low-lying PSIDS could be ‘trapped’ by worsening climate conditions, declining living standards and few opportunities for migration or income-generation for adaptation. 3 The lack of mobility options only decreases the chances that cultural heritage could be preserved in face of climate change, as well-managed migration is widely recognised as a means of enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity in island communities. 4