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The Pacific comprises one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world. When adopting relocation as a climate adaptation strategy, policymakers and communities must consider whether proposed areas are ‘reasonable’ and ‘relevant’ alternatives.

Despite political divisions, South Asia can build on existing bilateral agreements and work through existing regional bodies, supported by the Global Compact for Migration, to create a regional framework for climate mobility governance that ensures dignity.

Two Sri Lankan case studies illustrate the challenges Global South nations face in adopting internationally recognised rights-based approaches to climate-induced relocations.

The choices made by island and coastal communities threatened by climate-related disasters represent forms of constrained agency – weighing up options within the bounds of what is possible, they invest in education and livelihoods, reinforce housing and migrate as a proactive strategy.

A hybrid approach that integrates refugees and migrants into urban neighbourhoods while offering structured support and emphasising ecological restoration offers a promising new model for the settlement of people displaced by climate change.

In a flood-prone region in southern India, displacement does not follow a linear trajectory, it is a cyclical occurrence tied to the monsoon season. Families repeatedly anticipate, leave their homes, return and recover according to the intensity of rainfall, necessitating flexible support systems.

The climate crisis exposes the limits of current legal frameworks. Imminent tipping point harms and new advances in science and litigation create an opportunity to strengthen protections for those most vulnerable to climate-induced displacement.

Bangladesh’s Loss and Damage framework aims to establish an enabling policy environment and the necessary institutional arrangements for mobilising funds to support people displaced by climate change impacts. Ensuring grassroots access to these funds is key to enabling tangible local actions that strengthen livelihoods and resilience.

Humanitarian discourse often celebrates ‘resilience’, yet for many displaced people resilience is less a free choice and more a necessity imposed by crisis. That reality calls for policies that turn survival strategies into supported pathways for adaptation.

Climate change is threatening livelihoods and traditional ways of life for India’s marine fisherfolk, but community organisation is spearheading resistance and adaptation. Policy frameworks must shift towards structural reform to translate these successes into broader resilience.