Abstract

Climate change represents a major potential drag on progress towards sustainable development, not least in its disruption to processes of the movement of people. Principal threats from climate change include increasing the involuntary displacement of people from the impacts of extreme weather events, through to making urban settlements more hazardous for new migrant populations. This chapter illustrates these risks, focusing on how climate-change risks limit the choice and agency of those experiencing the impacts, both in source and destination areas. Collective responses to climate change, such as recognising displaced populations or planning for relocation of settlements, currently have limited recognition of the social dynamics of migration and its role in sustainable development.