Tauhere UC Connect: Do we really have to move? Rethinking climate mobility

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC)’s upcoming Tauhere Connect public talk delves into the urgent issue of climate change’s impact on people’s land, culture, wellbeing, and dignity.  

Low-lying atoll States in the Pacific and exposed regions around the world face the very real threat of becoming uninhabitable due to rising sea levels and extreme weather events. This presentation addresses climate mobility myths and explores the diverse ways in which people move – or do not move – in the context of a changing climate. 

While climate mobility is often discussed as an inevitable consequence, this presentation by Climate Crisis Research Fellow Dr Dalila Gharbaoui from the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at UC, challenges prevailing narratives.  

In her public talk, on Wednesday evening 29 May, she will shed light on the often overlooked voices of communities who advocate for the right to ‘move or stay with dignity’.  

“In climate change discourse, climate mobility is often portrayed as an inevitability, not only for atolls but in other, larger nations exposed to climate impacts,” Dr Gharbaoui says.  

“Forced or voluntary mobility is real, and a lot of gaps still need to be addressed to meaningfully protect the rights and dignity of people who are on the move to adapt to the changing climate.  In addition, people who are not able or don’t wish to move are often overlooked. It is a missed opportunity to learn from resilient communities that have rich histories of adapting to environmental risks, drawing on their cultural heritage and resourcefulness.” 

By examining the portrayal of ‘climate migrants,’ her talk aims to broaden our understanding of adaptation futures.  

“Rather than victimising Pacific communities and Indigenous peoples across the world, we should recognise their stories of resilience, sense of place, and innovative approaches to sovereignty,” she says. 

Join us as we explore the diverse experiences of climate (im)mobilities in the Pacific and beyond, reimagining a future that prioritises both adaptation and dignity. 

About the speaker 

Dr Dalila Gharbaoui is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury under the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs-funded Pacific Ocean and Climate Crisis Assessment. She holds a PhD in Pacific Studies from UC gained with the support of Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden | Marsden Fund and a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from University of Liege (Hugo Observatory on Environment, Politics and Migration). Dalila’s PhD thesis focused on climate-related (im)mobility and land governance in the Pacific region. She is a research fellow as part of the Pacific Ocean and Climate Crisis Assessment study, a research project led by UC Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva, in partnership with the University of the South Pacific and with funding from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).