Using Government Resettlement Projects as a Sustainable Adaptation Strategy for Climate Change

Abstract

Abstract:Given that increasing migration has been addressed as a major consequence of climate change, a growing number of scholars suggest that the planned relocation of people or Government Resettlement Projects (GRPs) should be included in climate change adaptation. This paper reviews the status of climate change and environmentally induced migration in China, and then presents an empirical case study in Shangnan County in northwest China, where a specific GRP called the 'Massive Southern Shaanxi Migration Program' (MSSMP) has been initiated in response to climate change-related impacts. The results showed that the MSSMP helped local residents to adapt better climate change by reducing exposures to risk, enabling mobility, providing financial incentives, raising living standards, and improving emotional status. Furthermore, the MSSMP added additional benefits for migrants compared with traditional GRPs by respecting voluntary participation, preparing for future risks, and reducing social isolation via a short relocation distance. However, GRPs could also be seen as a maladaptation to climate change because they disproportionately increase the burden on the most vulnerable community members, such as those who are financially disadvantaged, new migrants, and people who are left behind. The paper further suggests that the GRPs should be designed by involving multiple adaptation strategies as supplements for GRPs, and broadening the political schemes to consider the special needs of vulnerable groups. This study contributes to an understanding of the roles of GRPs in sustainable climate change adaptation, thereby facilitating the design, organization, and implication of future similar programs.

Planned resettlement to avoid climatic hazards: What prospects for just outcomes in China?

“…Articles about Ningxia claim that resettlement is an important adaptive measure for drought (Yang et al, 2015), but it is only very recently that these projects took into account the long-term viability of resettlement sites (Zheng et al, 2016). This same study actually found that resettlement disproportionately burdened the most vulnerable groups: the poor, people left behind and some new migrants (Lei et al, 2017). The burgeoning natural hazards and disaster literature in China has found resettlement to result in generalised impoverishment (Chen et al, 2017) and disproportionately burdened the most vulnerable (Guo and Kapucu, 2017).…”

“…This is partly driven by a joint UK-Swiss-PRC project called Adapting to Climate Change in China, now in its second phase. Others working at the interface of poverty alleviation and disaster prevention have argued that government-led resettlement projects are adaptive because they reduce exposure to hazards, enable mobility, provide financial incentives, and improve living standards and psychological wellbeing (Lei et al, 2017). If there are vulnerability assessments, these are done at the county level (Zheng et al, 2016), which is inadequate for understanding vulnerability or informing planning in China because of significant inequality between and within villages.…”

“…The burgeoning natural hazards and disaster literature in China has found resettlement to result in generalised impoverishment (Chen et al, 2017) and disproportionately burdened the most vulnerable (Guo and Kapucu, 2017). Others working at the interface of poverty alleviation and disaster prevention have argued that government-led resettlement projects are adaptive because they reduce exposure to hazards, enable mobility, provide financial incentives, and improve living standards and psychological wellbeing (Lei et al, 2017). But these claims are based on data from resettlement projects that did not consider vulnerability in their planning, or changing environmental conditions over time.…”

Resettlement and the environment in Vietnam: Implications for climate change adaptation planning

“…of access to land and common property resources, social networks, livelihoods) and damages that result (Barnett and O'Neill 2011;Adger et al 2012;McMichael et al 2012). A key aspect determining the extent of adverse outcomes of the relocation process hinges on the voluntary nature of relocation efforts (Barnett and O'Neill 2011;Lei et al 2017). A key aspect determining the extent of adverse outcomes of the relocation process hinges on the voluntary nature of relocation efforts (Barnett and O'Neill 2011;Lei et al 2017).…”

“…Even those making the case that planned resettlement is adaptation admit that it is not the case for all those involved and for some groups it is maladaptive (Lei et al 2017). A key aspect determining the extent of adverse outcomes of the relocation process hinges on the voluntary nature of relocation efforts (Barnett and O'Neill 2011;Lei et al 2017). It is perhaps with increasing voluntariness and community control over the decision-making process (when, how, where, who and what) that provides some potential for planned resettlement to shift towards the adaptation end of the spectrum.…”