Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100

To date, projections of human migration induced by sea-level change (SLC) largely suggest large-scale displacement away from vulnerable coastlines. However, results from our model of Bangladesh suggest counterintuitively that people will continue to migrate toward the vulnerable coastline irrespecti...

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Autores principales: Bell, Andrew R., Wrathall, David J., Mueller, Valerie, Chen, Joyce, Oppenheimer, Michael
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: IOP Publishing Ltd. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142509
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author Bell, Andrew R.
Wrathall, David J.
Mueller, Valerie
Chen, Joyce
Oppenheimer, Michael
author_browse Bell, Andrew R.
Chen, Joyce
Mueller, Valerie
Oppenheimer, Michael
Wrathall, David J.
author_facet Bell, Andrew R.
Wrathall, David J.
Mueller, Valerie
Chen, Joyce
Oppenheimer, Michael
author_sort Bell, Andrew R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description To date, projections of human migration induced by sea-level change (SLC) largely suggest large-scale displacement away from vulnerable coastlines. However, results from our model of Bangladesh suggest counterintuitively that people will continue to migrate toward the vulnerable coastline irrespective of the flooding amplified by future SLC under all emissions scenarios until the end of this century. We developed an empirically calibrated agent-based model of household migration decision-making that captures the multi-faceted push, pull and mooring influences on migration at a household scale. We then exposed ~4,800,000 simulated migrants to 871 scenarios of projected 21st-century coastal flooding under future emissions pathways. Our model does not predict flooding impacts great enough to drive populations away from coastlines in any of the scenarios. One reason is that while flooding does accelerate a transition from agricultural to non-agricultural income opportunities, livelihood alternatives are most abundant in coastal cities. At the same time, some coastal populations are unable to migrate, as flood losses accumulate and reduce the set of livelihood alternatives (so-called "trapped" populations). However, even when we increased access to credit, a commonly-proposed lever for incentivizing migration in the face of climate risk, we found that the number of immobile agents actually rose. These findings imply that instead of a straightforward relationship between displacement and migration, projections need to consider the multiple constraints on, and preferences for, mobility. Our model demonstrates that decision-makers seeking to affect migration outcomes around SLC would do well to consider individual-level adaptive behaviors and motivations that evolve through time, as well as the potential for unintended behavioral responses.
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spelling CGSpace1425092025-12-08T10:11:39Z Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100 Bell, Andrew R. Wrathall, David J. Mueller, Valerie Chen, Joyce Oppenheimer, Michael forecasting climate sea level measurement migration coastal zones sea level climate change To date, projections of human migration induced by sea-level change (SLC) largely suggest large-scale displacement away from vulnerable coastlines. However, results from our model of Bangladesh suggest counterintuitively that people will continue to migrate toward the vulnerable coastline irrespective of the flooding amplified by future SLC under all emissions scenarios until the end of this century. We developed an empirically calibrated agent-based model of household migration decision-making that captures the multi-faceted push, pull and mooring influences on migration at a household scale. We then exposed ~4,800,000 simulated migrants to 871 scenarios of projected 21st-century coastal flooding under future emissions pathways. Our model does not predict flooding impacts great enough to drive populations away from coastlines in any of the scenarios. One reason is that while flooding does accelerate a transition from agricultural to non-agricultural income opportunities, livelihood alternatives are most abundant in coastal cities. At the same time, some coastal populations are unable to migrate, as flood losses accumulate and reduce the set of livelihood alternatives (so-called "trapped" populations). However, even when we increased access to credit, a commonly-proposed lever for incentivizing migration in the face of climate risk, we found that the number of immobile agents actually rose. These findings imply that instead of a straightforward relationship between displacement and migration, projections need to consider the multiple constraints on, and preferences for, mobility. Our model demonstrates that decision-makers seeking to affect migration outcomes around SLC would do well to consider individual-level adaptive behaviors and motivations that evolve through time, as well as the potential for unintended behavioral responses. 2021-02-01 2024-05-22T12:10:36Z 2024-05-22T12:10:36Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142509 en Open Access IOP Publishing Ltd. Bell, Andrew Reid; Wrathall, David J.; Mueller, Valerie; Chen, Joyce; Oppenheimer, Michael; et al. 2021. Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100. Environmental Research Letters 16(2): 024045. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abdc5b
spellingShingle forecasting
climate
sea level measurement
migration
coastal zones
sea level
climate change
Bell, Andrew R.
Wrathall, David J.
Mueller, Valerie
Chen, Joyce
Oppenheimer, Michael
Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100
title Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100
title_full Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100
title_fullStr Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100
title_full_unstemmed Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100
title_short Migration towards Bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea-level rise through 2100
title_sort migration towards bangladesh coastlines projected to increase with sea level rise through 2100
topic forecasting
climate
sea level measurement
migration
coastal zones
sea level
climate change
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142509
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