Persistent vulnerability and precarious futures: the limits of adaptation in ‘climate migrant’ informal settlements of coastal Bangladesh

Smith, Roland, Nicholls, Robert, Tebboth, Mark and Kent, Avidan (2026) Persistent vulnerability and precarious futures: the limits of adaptation in ‘climate migrant’ informal settlements of coastal Bangladesh. Climate and Development. p. 1. ISSN 1756-5529

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Abstract

Populations exposed and vulnerable to climatic shocks and environmental degradation are increasingly likely to employ migration as an adaptive strategy in response to escalating severity and frequency of hazards associated with climate change. This study responds to the critical need to assess the role of migration in adaptation, particularly how post-migration conditions shape vulnerability, well-being and opportunities for existing households and their subsequent generations. Drawing on qualitative, participatory research in so-called ‘climate migrant’ slums in southwest Bangladesh, the study examines how migration reconfigures household risk by changing levels of exposure whilst reshaping and potentially reproducing conditions of vulnerability. While moving away from high-risk rural areas may reduce exposure, informal urban settlements remain exposed and are marked by socio-economic precarity and political exclusion, reinforcing conditions of vulnerability. Many such households are rendered immobile, both in terms of future migration and socio-economic mobility. Therefore, the success of migration as an adaptation strategy will depend not only on reducing exposure to hazards but also on addressing broader social, economic and political factors that shape vulnerability, enabling households to withstand future hazards and support long-term development.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data availability statement: Data will be made available on request. Supplemental Material: Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2026.2619446
Uncontrolled Keywords:	climate change,migration,adaptation,displacement,bangladesh,informal settlements,aspirations-capabilities,climate mobilities,development,geography, planning and development,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,sdg 11 - sustainable cities and communities,sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3303
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development) Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Law
UEA Research Groups:	University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Migration Research Network Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > International Law
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?... https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2026 17:30
Last Modified:	24 Feb 2026 17:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101978
DOI:	10.1080/17565529.2026.2619446

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