A future agenda for research on climate change and human mobility

This paper highlights enduring research gaps and challenges on the interlinkages between climate change and human mobility but its main goal is to stimulate and contribute to a much needed conversation on a new research agenda on human mobility in the context of climate change (HMCCC) for the next decade to meet the needs of states, global policy frameworks and people who are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. 

This paper concludes that significant progress has been made in the field of HMCCC in recent times. This is true in research but also policy, as an increasing number of actors and processes address a range of aspects within the climate mobility nexus—even if policymakers can remain reticent in comment and action. However, as the discipline of HMCCC is young, it can, will and must continue to evolve. As described here, future research needs to be more differentiated and integrated, but also has to strive for more generalizability. The question of how this should be realized is not straightforward.