Climate change impacts coastal communities through flooding, storm surge, extreme weather (including drought), and sea level rise. These hazards may lead communities to relocate away from the coasts. Conversely, researchers have identified some areas of the United States, such as the Great Lakes, as receiving areas of these potential climate migrants due to the unique attributes of their communities. Despite reference to the link between climate change and human mobility (displacement, migration, planned relocation), there is a dearth of knowledge on how shifts in population patterns intersect with underlying socioeconomic, cultural, political, and environmental processes. Other factors still appear to be more controlling in the decision to move. Resources often enable or constrain the ability of communities to relocate. Programs to empower communities to make decisions on relocation are lacking.
New York Sea Grant (NYSG) and other Sea Grant programs received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop a Research Coordination Network. The project named People on the Move in a Changing Climate (PEMOCC) will provide the scientific infrastructure that is required to conduct place-based, use-inspired collaborative research on climate-induced human mobility, and regionally tailored educational and engagement strategies.
In June 2022, NYSG hosted and co-facilitated a PEMOCC workshop for the Great Lakes region in Buffalo, NY. Fifty participants from across the Basin states attended. The goals were to feature the current state of knowledge on climate-induced human mobility, provide local/regional case studies, and address the unique needs of underserved and underrepresented coastal communities. A follow-up meeting will be held in Corvallis, Oregon in September of 2024. This talk will review the findings of both workshop and engage the audience to think about steps to address the findings in order to increase resilience.
