Rober Oakes, Cosmin Corendea and Kees van der Geest
The Pacific Small Island Developing States are often represented as living in a perfect storm of climate change. They are low-lying and located near the equator where changes in mean temperature, rainfall and hazards such as floods and storms will be most severe. Their young populations are increasing, exposing ever greater numbers to risk. As developing countries, their populations are often classed as vulnerable with their ability to adapt constrained. Human mobility has long been a normal activity in these regions, and under climate change this is already accelerating. This chapter identifies current mobility flows in Kiribati, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands to show that such movements are largely from outer islands towards the urban centres which can create new risks in overcrowded, exposed towns and cities. While flows of people into urban areas are increasing, flows out are less dynamic. People may want to move, but the agency of affected people to move is limited, by a lack of money, opportunities and their governments’ political weakness in securing access to visas for international mobility. The chapter then considers existing and potential frameworks and innovative ways to facilitate more adaptive and dignified forms of migration while reducing the risks of loss and damage and displacement. It outlines a range of opportunities for addressing climate-related mobility for the Pacific Small Island Developing States at the global, regional and national level. It considers the strengths and limitations of global frameworks such as through the UNFCCC and then analyses the constraints to regional agreements which would enable “Migration with Dignity”. The chapter then highlights Fiji’s role in leading with national frameworks with a discussion of its new guidelines on planned relocation and displacement. The chapter concludes that new efforts at all levels are essential to boost the agency of Islanders to be able to decide whether to move, and under what circumstances.