Climate Change and Coastal Relocation: The Urgent Call for Action
In 2023, Turkey’s earthquake displaced numerous people in Europe, making it the leading cause of population movement in the region. For 2024, spring floods in central Europe, the northern part of France, and Spain’s Valencia region are expected to further impact population displacements. Globally, floods are the primary cause of displacement, followed by storms and earthquakes.
Additionally, sea-level rise poses a significant threat to coastal communities, potentially displacing up to 187 million people this century. Unlike earthquakes and storms, which can result in rebuilding, sea-level rise often necessitates a permanent relocation.
To mitigate these challenges, governments are integrating relocation strategies into climate change adaptation policies, addressing both small villages and large urban centers.
Comprehensive Analysis of Climate Displacement Relocation
A 2022 study on climate displacement identified planned relocation cases in 78 countries. The distribution showcases a significant presence in Asia (40%), the Americas (38%), Africa (10%), the Pacific (9%), and limited instances in Europe and the Middle East.
Jakarta, the Largest-Scale Climate Relocation Effort to Date
Home to approximately 10 million people, Jakarta is sinking rapidly and faces sea-level rise, earthquakes, air pollution, and flooding. To address these issues, the Indonesian government plans to relocate the administrative part of the city to Borneo, creating a new capital called Ibu Kota Nusantara (Nusantara) for 1.9 million residents at an estimated cost of $30 billion.
Nusantara is designed to be a sustainable, carbon-neutral metropolis by 2045. However, this ambitious project has faced environmental concerns, including massive deforestation and the displacement of Indigenous communities.
Miquelon, the Threatened North American Village
Located near Newfoundland in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Miquelon’s 600 inhabitants face rising sea levels, with many homes built less than 6.5 feet above sea level. Following storms in 2018 and 2022, the village plans to relocate to a higher site one mile away, with the government buying homes from willing residents and architects designing a new, sustainable village.
This is not the first village to undergo such a move, and most likely won’t be the last.
To bridge the gap while relocation progresses, adaptation measures such as artificial riprap and emergency refuges are in place.
Metamorfosi, the Greek Village That Lost Everything
On September 4, 2023, storm Daniel hit the central Thessaly region of Greece, flooding the agricultural heartland and nearly destroying the village of Metamorfosi, situated at the lowest point of the Thessaly plain. In December 2023, residents voted to relocate to new homes on slightly higher ground in the village of Palamas, five miles away, as part of a government initiative to protect vulnerable communities.
The Guna People: Latin America’s First Climate Change Refugees
For 300 years, the Guna people have lived on 50 islands off Panama’s Caribbean coast, facing accelerating sea-level rise and worsening tidal floods and storms. In 2010, the Panamanian government endorsed their community-led relocation, marking the first in Latin America. The new town, Isber Yala, is far from complete, but it represents a significant step in adapting to climate change.
These moves sometimes come with serious threats to Indigenous rights and culture.
According to the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the Cantabria University, Panama could lose 2.01% of its surface by 2050, displacing 63 communities, nearly 38,000 people.
Newtok, the Alaskan Village at the Mercy of Permafrost Thawing
Newtok, on the edge of the Ninglick River in western Alaska, faces rapid permafrost thaw and erosion, losing about 70 feet of land annually. Residents began moving to Mertarvik, a new site on the south side of the Ninglick River, in 2019, and the relocation is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.
Monrovia, a Capital City Relocation Proposal
Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, is home to 2.2 million people and is prone to rainfall, flooding, and coastal erosion due to its rapid, unregulated expansion. In 2012, former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf proposed moving the capital to Yekepa, but her plan was not pursued.
After severe floods in June and July 2023, senators drafted a proposal for a new capital location, which is under review by the Liberian Ministry of Works. If approved, it would mark the first capital city relocation in Africa due to climate change.
The Global Call to Action
The examples of Jakarta, Miquelon, Metamorfosi, the Guna people, Newtok, and Monrovia illustrate the urgent need for climate adaptation strategies that include strategic relocation. While these efforts offer hope, they also highlight the complexity and challenges involved in protecting vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
As climate change intensifies, more communities will face similar challenges, requiring proactive and inclusive policies that balance environmental, social, and economic considerations.
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