July 28, 2025

A Comprehensive Exploration of the Social and Cultural Dimensions of Climate Migration: A Review

Key Points

MAIN FINDING: Climate migration emerges as a critical issue intersecting social, cultural, and environmental realities.
KEY EVIDENCE: The analysis reveals gaps in understanding cultural heritage, with vulnerable populations facing heightened risks.
APPROACH: A systematic review of peer-reviewed sources highlights trends in adaptation strategies and governance frameworks.
SIGNIFICANCE: Addressing climate migration through cultural preservation can promote resilience and recovery in affected communities.

Abstract

Climate change presents unprecedented challenges to societies, ecosystems, and cultures, leading to climate-induced migration where people and communities migrate as a result of environmental disruption. This phenomenon disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including low-income groups, indigenous peoples, women, and marginalized communities, who are exposed to heightened levels of displacement and exploitation. While there is a growing recognition of climate migration, there exists a substantial gap in understanding its social and cultural dimensions. The current scholarly research mainly addresses economic and environmental concerns, more commonly excluding cultural heritage and community resilience components that are vital for sustainable adaptation. The review follows a systematic process of gathering evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles, policy briefs, and case studies published between 2003 and 2023. The data was obtained from credible academic databases, including ScienceDirect, JSTOR, and Google Scholar. Thematic analysis was used to extract major trends, policy frameworks, adaptation strategies, and governance responses that respond to climate migration. The study highlights how communities adopt various adaptation strategies, ranging from local initiatives to global support systems, to mitigate the adverse effects of climate migration. Responsibility-sharing, good governance, and cultural preservation, however, become imperative in promoting resilience and aiding recovery. Policy reactions that range across the continuum, in tandem with cooperative governance and adaptive strategies, are needed to address climate migration. Through an examination of climate projections, population dynamics, and socioeconomic realities, this review highlights the potential for innovation and collaboration. A mutual responsibility approach can enhance resilience and preserve dignity in a changing climate at an ever-increasing rate.

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