Terminology: Climate-Driven Relocation

Urban Ocean Lab (UOL) defines “climate-driven relocation” as an adaptation strategy involving the movement of people, homes, and infrastructure away from climate-vulnerable areas.

We use “climate-driven” to establish that climate change and its impacts—such as sea level rise, flooding, coastal erosion and land loss, hurricanes, and storm surge—are the reason why relocation is being considered.

We use “relocation” because it most closely aligns with the policy landscape in the U.S., where UOL’s coastal cities work is focused. While “relocation” refers to the physical movement of people and structures away from climate risk, our work also addresses other activities that can occur before, during, and after relocation, such as community engagement, cultural preservation, the migration and restoration of coastal ecosystems, and economic resilience.