Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HOME (Human mObility and cliMate change in the European context)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2025-02-28
Climate-related hazards such as sea-level rise and wildfires could reshape mobility patterns in Europe, yet internal responses—displacement, voluntary immobility, or planned relocation—remain understudied and underrepresented in policy. The HOME project addressed this gap by investigating how environmental change influences human mobility decisions and governance challenges within Europe, focusing on the Portuguese context.
The project explored how both sudden-onset (wildfires) and slow-onset (coastal erosion, sea-level rise) events affect different forms of mobility. It aimed to move beyond simplistic cause-effect models by investigating how social inequalities, institutional frameworks, and historical legacies shape im/mobility. Portugal was selected as the primary study site due to its exposure to both wildfire and coastal risks, and its relevance as a policy laboratory for climate adaptation in Europe.
The project’s specific scientific objectives were to: I) Provide a systematic review of European research on climate-related mobility. ii) Analyze how institutional power and governance structures shape unequal exposure to climate risks and capacities for im/mobility. iii) Empirically document how and under what conditions different mobility responses emerge in contexts of wildfire and coastal risk. iv)Contribute knowledge that can inform more just and effective climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies.
The project explored how both sudden-onset (wildfires) and slow-onset (coastal erosion, sea-level rise) events affect different forms of mobility. It aimed to move beyond simplistic cause-effect models by investigating how social inequalities, institutional frameworks, and historical legacies shape im/mobility. Portugal was selected as the primary study site due to its exposure to both wildfire and coastal risks, and its relevance as a policy laboratory for climate adaptation in Europe.
The project’s specific scientific objectives were to: I) Provide a systematic review of European research on climate-related mobility. ii) Analyze how institutional power and governance structures shape unequal exposure to climate risks and capacities for im/mobility. iii) Empirically document how and under what conditions different mobility responses emerge in contexts of wildfire and coastal risk. iv)Contribute knowledge that can inform more just and effective climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies.
This project combined rigorous desk research with extensive fieldwork using ethnographic methods to explore key issues in depth. It led to significant technical and scientific advancements, resulting in notable outcomes.
A structured review of 243 peer-reviewed articles revealed a marked conceptual fragmentation and a strong geographic bias in the existing literature, with a predominant focus on external migration from the Global South. In contrast, internal climate-related mobility within Europe remains largely overlooked, and wildfire-related displacement is virtually absent from current research. These gaps directly informed the selection of empirical case study sites in Portugal.
Two case studies were selected based on thematic relevance, feasibility for ethnographic research, and policy salience:
I) Pedrinhas and Cedovém (Northern Portugal): Informal coastal settlements facing planned relocation due to erosion and projected sea-level rise.
II)Pinhal Interior Norte (Central Portugal): A wildfire-prone rural region affected by the devastating 2017 fires, now experiencing demographic shifts including the arrival of new settlers.
Fieldwork combined long-term ethnographic immersion with semi-structured interviews and observational methods. Over 55 interviews were conducted across both case studies.
In Pedrinhas and Cedovém, findings revealed: i) A disconnection between expert-led risk assessments and local experiences, especially among long-term residents. ii) High levels of uncertainty tied to the relocation process, often seen as institutional neglect rather than protection, iii) Historical marginalization shaping attitudes toward the state and affecting relocation willingness.
In Pinhal Interior Norte, the research uncovered: i) Unexpected forms of mobility post-disaster, including the arrival of digital nomads and lifestyle migrants; ii) Divergent mobility patterns: some new residents actively manage fire risk through land stewardship, while others settle in high-risk zones without engaging in mitigation practices; iii) A legacy of rural depopulation and agricultural abandonment contributing to fuel build-up and increased fire risk—demonstrating that past mobility can be a driver of present environmental hazards.
Interviews and field notes were transcribed and analyzed using Atlas.ti. The analysis combined deductive coding, aligned with the project’s research questions, and inductive coding to surface emergent themes.
Key analytical insights included: the importance of perception and trust in shaping mobility decisions under risk; the entanglement of emotional and historical attachments with structural vulnerabilities; the inadequacy of one-size-fits-all relocation or risk mitigation strategies that fail to account for social and cultural complexity.
The empirical data support a broader reconceptualization of climate mobility in Europe—one that integrates institutional trust, place attachment, and socio-political dynamics into adaptation planning.
A structured review of 243 peer-reviewed articles revealed a marked conceptual fragmentation and a strong geographic bias in the existing literature, with a predominant focus on external migration from the Global South. In contrast, internal climate-related mobility within Europe remains largely overlooked, and wildfire-related displacement is virtually absent from current research. These gaps directly informed the selection of empirical case study sites in Portugal.
Two case studies were selected based on thematic relevance, feasibility for ethnographic research, and policy salience:
I) Pedrinhas and Cedovém (Northern Portugal): Informal coastal settlements facing planned relocation due to erosion and projected sea-level rise.
II)Pinhal Interior Norte (Central Portugal): A wildfire-prone rural region affected by the devastating 2017 fires, now experiencing demographic shifts including the arrival of new settlers.
Fieldwork combined long-term ethnographic immersion with semi-structured interviews and observational methods. Over 55 interviews were conducted across both case studies.
In Pedrinhas and Cedovém, findings revealed: i) A disconnection between expert-led risk assessments and local experiences, especially among long-term residents. ii) High levels of uncertainty tied to the relocation process, often seen as institutional neglect rather than protection, iii) Historical marginalization shaping attitudes toward the state and affecting relocation willingness.
In Pinhal Interior Norte, the research uncovered: i) Unexpected forms of mobility post-disaster, including the arrival of digital nomads and lifestyle migrants; ii) Divergent mobility patterns: some new residents actively manage fire risk through land stewardship, while others settle in high-risk zones without engaging in mitigation practices; iii) A legacy of rural depopulation and agricultural abandonment contributing to fuel build-up and increased fire risk—demonstrating that past mobility can be a driver of present environmental hazards.
Interviews and field notes were transcribed and analyzed using Atlas.ti. The analysis combined deductive coding, aligned with the project’s research questions, and inductive coding to surface emergent themes.
Key analytical insights included: the importance of perception and trust in shaping mobility decisions under risk; the entanglement of emotional and historical attachments with structural vulnerabilities; the inadequacy of one-size-fits-all relocation or risk mitigation strategies that fail to account for social and cultural complexity.
The empirical data support a broader reconceptualization of climate mobility in Europe—one that integrates institutional trust, place attachment, and socio-political dynamics into adaptation planning.
HOME contributed new conceptual and empirical insights that advance the scientific understanding of climate-related mobility within Europe: i) It documented rare, first-hand accounts of internal climate-induced mobility, particularly regarding wildfire dynamics and coastal retreat; ii) It challenged the prevailing notion that environmental risk necessarily leads to displacement, showing how voluntary historical and institutional conditions also shape immobility and return; iii) It introduced a novel lens on wildfire risk, linking it to patterns of in- and out-migration and rural land use—areas typically overlooked in fire governance; iv) It validated the value of immersive, ethnographic fieldwork in uncovering the lived experience of risk and mobility, offering a replicable methodology for similar research across high-risk EU regions.
These results lay the groundwork for future research on climate mobility and planned relocation across Europe, and for integrating mobility considerations more fully into climate adaptation policy and planning.
These results lay the groundwork for future research on climate mobility and planned relocation across Europe, and for integrating mobility considerations more fully into climate adaptation policy and planning.