Climate Mobility, Urbanisation and Change: Mapping Emerging Trends and Knowledge

Session Convenors: Aidan Mosselson (University of Edinburgh), Jin-ho Chung (University of Oxford)

Session Outline: How is climate change affecting human mobility? Answers to this question are still evolving. One influential narrative suggests a mass exodus of 'climate refugees' from the Global South to the North, driven by acute environmental crises. Yet, emerging research indicates a trend of internal movement, with populations moving within national borders from climate-vulnerable rural areas to cities. Furthermore, increasing global temperatures significantly influence human mobilities even in places that are not facing acute environmental crises.

The concept of 'climate mobility' has emerged, offering a nuanced lens through which to examine the nexus of climate adaptation and movement. It transcends the conventional idea of climate migration – typically a permanent cross-border relocation – and embraces a spectrum of mobility types. Climate mobility is understood as multifaceted: it can be seasonal; recurrent; short-range; voluntary, coerced, or somewhere in between; involving varied trajectories and durations of immobility or movement.

The gaps in our understanding of climate mobility provide fertile ground for scholarly investigation. It is recognised that climate change is one of many variables shaping mobility decisions and rural-to-urban movement patterns, intersecting with factors such as social inequality, economic instability, conflict, and the quest for better opportunities. In this session, we are interested in exploring the intricacies and intersecting forms of vulnerability and power that shape experiences and forms of climate mobility, as well as the factors that constrain or enable climate mobility, and the consequences of movement at various scales, from differing perspectives.

The roles of cities within these movements also require further scrutiny. Accelerated urbanisation is frequently taking place in already-stressed contexts, placing further strain on communities, individuals and resources. The ways in which cities and urbanisation processes are being shaped by and responding to climate mobility are of critical concern.

We invite scholarly work that delves into the intricacies of climate mobility within processes and lived realities of urbanisation. We are particularly interested in studies that:

• Analyse the interconnections between climate change and urban migration patterns
• Examine the socio-economic and political dimensions shaping climate mobility
• Explore the lived experiences of individuals and families navigating climate-related movements
• Propose innovative methodologies or theoretical frameworks for understanding climate mobility