Displaceability and the climate crisis: addressing the connections

This project reframes climate displacement by analysing how climate policies shape displaceability, aiming to inform more just, rights-based approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation.

This project explores how climate policies—both mitigation and adaptation—can exacerbate or alleviate the risk of displacement, particularly for marginalised groups. Moving beyond hazard-centric views of climate-induced displacement, it introduces the concept of ‘displaceability’ to examine how socio-institutional environments and power dynamics shape vulnerability.

Through a comprehensive literature review and expert focus groups, the research will develop a climate-focused framework for displaceability, identifying how policy design and local governance influence rights and risks. Outputs include an academic paper and policy brief, laying the groundwork for a larger comparative study.

The project aims to inform more just and anticipatory climate policies by highlighting how current interventions may unintentionally deepen inequality and erode rights. It contributes to emerging debates on climate gentrification, maladaptation, and land grabbing, offering a critical lens on the intersection of climate action and social justice.