Micro-mobilities

Where does mobility begin? Environmental changes often induce small-scale movements that typically fall through the cracks of most conceptual and methodological discussions of environmental mobility. This study examines such “micro-mobilities” – frequent, short-range household shifts that remain largely invisible in conventional migration statistics yet constitute a crucial adaptive coping strategy. Empirically, I investigate the micro-mobilities encountered along Bangladesh’s Jamuna River, where yearly recurring riverbank erosion and flooding force households to repeatedly relocate, often over very short distances. Drawing on a four-wave panel survey of 1,515 households across 36 erosion-prone sites (2021–2024), I describe the prevalence and spatial patterns of micro-mobility, and identify factors associated with relocation decisions. Results show that households dismantle and move entire houses, frequently remaining within their village community (67% of all observed whole-household moves, moving on average 580 metres). Moves are strongly constrained by land availability, costs, and social ties, with place attachment and economic limitations often outweighing the benefits of migrating farther away. These findings highlight the importance of micro-mobility as a distinct form of coping with climatic changes, challenging the dominant narrative of large-scale climate migration and underscoring the need to integrate small-scale, locally meaningful movements into climate (im)mobility research, policy, and practice.