Abstract

Migration patterns are increasingly mediated by risks posed by climate change. Rural communities face disproportionate climate impacts due to existing vulnerabilities based on landholding size, access to irrigation, gender, and caste. Coastal communities are increasingly displaced by storms, cyclones, erosion, and saltwater intrusion. Inadequate livelihoods, shifting aspirations, and climate-driven precarity push them towards urban areas for economic opportunities. However, once in cities, migrants often end up in the informal economy and in precarious living arrangements. Urban densification and land use change and exclusionary public services compound climatic hazards, disproportionately affecting the urban poor, many of whom are low-wage migrants. This review synthesises the growing literature on climate migration focussing on its implications for urban poor migrant populations in India. I summarise historical and projected climate change impacts in connection with migration in India and then examine the evidence on socially differentiated outcomes of migration. Using this evidence, the paper presents a framework that underscores how climate change interacts with social, ecological, economic, and institutional factors to shape migration outcomes on wellbeing, equity, and risk reduction. Literature on climate vulnerability, migration decision-making, and migration outcomes is growing, but rarely intersects. Empirical gaps remain on how climate change impacts and intersecting vulnerabilities shape outcomes for migrant settlements in destination cities, especially in low-income urban settlements. The discourse of ‘migration-as-adaptation’ focusses on climate-driven migration from rural areas, but its success also depends on how inclusive and resilient urban destinations are. Bridging this gap is essential to understand how climate change drives and shapes migration outcomes for urban poor migrants, across source and destination areas, and between and among households.