Analysing qualitative data from interviews of residents' concerns about local coastal changes, the authors examine the experiences of residents in three low-lying villages across two small island states: Dreketi and Karoko in Fiji, and Funafala in Tuvalu.
Using the case of Tuvalu, the paper analysed key environmental factors said to contribute to population movement, in addition to considering time factors, in order to show how typologies for environmentally induced population movement need to be understood in a contextualised manner.
The paper is divided into three parts: the first part explores the link between climate change and migration; the second part explores recent influxes in internal migration, migratory influences and the associated livelihood decline; and the third part presents possible future population relocations as a consequence of climate change.
Results from this study show that concerns about the impacts of climate change are not currently a significant driver of migration for the people in Funafuti - the main island of Tuvalu, and is also not a significant influence on those who intend to migrate in the future.
Most Tuvaluans believe that their country will not necessarily disappear and are unwilling to leave. But for those who migrated to new Zealand, the key factor in their migration can often be characterized as a risk-reduction strategy for the family due to the uncertainty regarding the future of their country.
For Tuvalu migrants environmental change has no impct on their decision to migrate as their primary source of income and livelihood is rarely based on environmental or natural resources. However, climate change has impacted Tuvaluans indirectly through the living conditions and the resulted psychological effects as in fears, feelings or migration motivations in response to climate change and sea level rise.
