A new study shows that coastal living is undergoing a shift, as residents relocate in response to rising seas and extreme weather threats unique to coastlines and disproportionately impacting low-income and marginalized communities.

What's happening?

As sea levels rise, the need for many to move away from shrinking shores is coming to light. In fact, the co-authors of a study published in September in the journal Nature Climate Change used lights to demonstrate this. They evaluated "night-time light changes for 1992 to 2019 and [showed] that settlements retreated from coastlines in 56 percent of coastal subnational regions."

Unfortunately, as extreme weather impacts and poverty are increasingly linked, with intensifying hurricanes and floods affecting the same vulnerable residents each season, voluntary migration is not something that global coastal dwellers can equitably or reliably access. Local businesses and homes are repeatedly destroyed; food systems and infrastructure are set back; and already-marginalized communities are hit again and again. The effects can put safe and smooth relocation out of reach for too many.

"In 46 percent of low-income regions, particularly in Africa and Asia," the co-authors observed, "settlements were forced to either maintain their current status quo or move closer to coastlines, revealing the large adaptation gap in addressing future climate change risks."

Lead author and Monash University professor Xiaoming Wang explained to Australian outlet News Cop that while relocation is happening, it seems most possible for those of financial means. Others are too often stuck in areas susceptible to disaster, and sometimes they are even forced to move yet closer to the threats of sea level rise.

"In poorer regions, people may have to be forced to stay exposed to climate risks to live or (they have) no capacity to move," Wang told News Cop. "These communities can face increasingly severe risk in a changing climate."

Why is this concerning?

The effects of rising seas are impacting people around the globe. In the Southern United States, continued flooding is causing devastating effects for coastal inhabitants. Meanwhile, increasing water temperatures and siltation in Brazil have caused one coastal town to lose 500 homes.

While some unpredictable weather is normal, intensifying weather events point to a bigger issue. Rising global temperatures, driven by heat-trapping pollution, are largely attributed to human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels like coal and gas. In this warming world, melting glaciers are driving sea levels up and destructive floodwaters further into coastal and island communities.

Perhaps surprisingly, the study from Wang and team showed not only that low-income households can face the inability to easily relocate from vulnerable shores but also that some high-income households have been choosing to remain.

"This can be due to their capacity and wealth accumulated in coastal areas," Wang said. Potentially enabled by access to more resilient infrastructure, dependable social safety nets, and the ability to relocate at a moment's notice, higher-income individuals may be able to hold onto coastal properties for longer.

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Still, the mounting threats of erosion, storm surges, chronic flooding, and water contamination may ultimately force the issue.

"Relocating away from the coast must be part of a long-term climate strategy," Wang told News Cop.

What's being done?

While curbing disasters related to rising temperatures and sea levels will require a global shift to clean, renewable energy sources, local preventative measures should still be implemented now to help keep people safe. In addition to improving resilient infrastructure — from clean water systems to safe roadways — governments and non-governmental organizations can come together to improve equitable access to voluntary migration away from coastal zones.

As reported by NBC News this summer, the government of Nauru — a tiny island nation in the South Pacific — has started "selling passports to wealthy foreigners — offering visa-free access to dozens of countries — in a bid to generate revenue for possible relocation efforts." Over a third of nearby Tuvalu's residents, meanwhile, have applied for migration to Australia through a climate-related visa.

Wang has advocated for policy and planning aimed at protecting vulnerable coastal residents alongside legitimate climate action. Exploring critical climate issues, no matter where you live, can help you become more informed about how extreme weather can affect your area and the global community. 

Location doesn't have to be a barrier to making a tangible difference either. By integrating clean energy options into your daily life — from home solar panels to electric vehicles, public transportation, and car pooling — you can take small but meaningful steps away from the dirty energy fueling devastating sea level rise around the world.

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