Relevance of population mobility for climate change mitigation

Abstract

Population mobility and immobility are depicted prominently in the climate change adaptation literature either as maladaptation, or failure to adapt, or as a key strategy for adaptation in place or elsewhere. On the other hand, the relevance of population mobility in the context of climate change mitigation has not been highlighted to the same extent as, for example, population growth and fertility. And yet, as the outcomes of people moving around – sometimes in unexpected ways because of local combinations of policies, contexts and shocks – population mobility patterns, trends and levels could both facilitate and constrain climate change mitigation efforts. In this brief note, I suggest that climate change mitigation strategies and actions need to take into account their potential interactions with population mobility because it is a key component of population growth, population distribution and urbanisation trends, as well as a potential contributor to behavioural change.