Climate Migration

Bibliographic Data

ID21787752
AuthorsTerry Macdonald (0000-0002-9105-8886, The University of Melbourne), Stephanie Collins (0000-0003-3417-2321, School of Philosophical, Historical, and Indigenous Studies Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia), Luara Ferracioli (0000-0001-9784-0302, The University of Sydney, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume21
Issue3
Publication date2026-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophy Compass (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1747-9991 • E-ISSN: 1747-9991
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/phc3.70096
OpenAlexW7162529737
LanguageEN
References cited72

Climate migration raises difficult normative challenges for political philosophy. Existing scholarship largely applies theories of international rights and distributive justice to climate‐induced mobility, focusing on refugee status and how the international community should allocate responsibility. We argue that although these approaches answer many important questions, they are also limited by their reliance on the constitutive norms of the current state‐based international order. After reviewing rights‐based frameworks, we highlight emerging debates that question how climate migration disrupts foundational ideals of territorial sovereignty and national self‐determination. These debates underscore the need for normative analysis attentive to power hierarchies, cultural loss, and community‐led adaptation practices. We conclude by discussing methodological innovations through “engaged” or “grounded” theorizing, which incorporates the perspectives of affected communities and addresses fragmented arenas of practice. This approach aims to guide more context‐sensitive normative responses to climate migration

Climate justice · Economic Justice · Normative · Politics · Refugee · Scholarship · Sovereignty · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Transboundary Water Resource Management

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Open DOIOpen Access