This article lists several areas, regions, and municipalities that have either been completely or markedly depopulated, or are involved in plans for depopulation or relocation due to anthropogenic climate change. Several factors created or worsened by climate change can be responsible for necessitating managed retreat or the relocation of people and/or infrastructure. These include rising sea levels, increased flooding risk, changes to the makeup of the land (e.g. a habitable area becoming a wetland), coastal erosion, increased susceptibility to dangerous cyclones, droughts, water shortages, wildfires, and other factors, all of which can overlap with each other to enhance the risk of danger or inhabitability of a formerly populated region.
The lists contain a general number of the number of people moved or at risk of being moved due to climate change-related causes, as well as rough dates for when programs to relocate were first created or for when a climate disaster first caused significant forcible displacement of a population.
Lists
Completely depopulated
| Area | Location | Number impacted | Reasons for/details of depopulation | Date(s) started | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw community of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana | Louisiana, United States | ~100 | Saltwater intrusion and sea level rise, "the first migration of a total community in the state of Louisiana" | 2016 | |
| Cartí Sugtupu | San Blas Archipelago in the Guna Yala province of Panama | 927 | In the process of complete relocation due to rising sea levels. The first island in Panama to be displaced due to climate change. | 2015 | |
| A neighborhood of Željezno Polje | Žepče, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,000+ | Catastrophic flooding during the 2014 Balkan floods caused complete destruction and depopulation of a section of Željezno Polje, resulting in a "ghost neighborhood". | 2014 | |
| Vunidogoloa | Vanua Levu, Fiji | 140 | Original location became the first town in Fiji to be depopulated and relocated due to persistent flooding, saltwater intrusion, and coastal erosion, becoming a ghost town. | 2004 | |
| Tukuraki | Viti Levu, Fiji | Susceptibility to landslides and flooding from cyclones. | 2017 | ||
| Nabavatu | Vanua Levu, Fiji | Nearly 400 | Devastated by Cyclone Ana, depopulated due to its proximity to the coast and susceptibility to flooding and storm surge. | 2021 | |
| Sea Breeze, New Jersey | Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States | 19 | Increased flooding risk resulting in property owners collectively agreeing to sell their properties to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. | 2008 |
Significantly impacted
| Area | Location | Number impacted | Reasons for/details of depopulation | Date(s) started | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Chad Basin | Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon | 30,000,000 | Droughts, floods, and the lake's contraction due to climate change, secondarily intensifying regional conflicts. | ||
| Sudd region | South Sudan | 1,000,000 | Significant flooding increases and lack of drainage leading to permanent conversion of settlements and agricultural land into wetlands. | 2017 | |
| Sundarbans | Khulna Division, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India | Up to 70,000 | Rising sea levels | 2020 | |
| Satabhaya, Odisha | Kendrapara district of Odisha, India | 650 families | Rising sea levels and coastal erosion, requiring state relocation to Bagapatia. | 2016 | |
| Minqin County | Gansu Province, China | 10,000 | Water shortages | 2007 | |
| Xihaigu | Ningxia, China | Hundreds of thousands | Water shortages | 1983 | |
| Paradise, California | Sierra Nevada region of the United States | 20,000+ | Camp Fire, exacerbated by drought | 2018 | |
| Kivalina | Northwest Arctic, Alaska, United States | 444 | Sea level rise, flooding, sea wave erosion, and bank erosion impacting local water quality, resulting in a planned relocation 12 km (7.5 mi) from the present site. | 2007 | |
| Newtok | Bethel, Alaska, United States | 209 | Erosion due to melting permafrost and increasing flooding risk, requiring movement to Mertarvik. | 2019 | |
| Shaktoolik | Nome, Alaska, United States | 212 | Increasing flooding risk and erosion | 2009 | |
| Shishmaref | Nome, Alaska, United States | 576 | Increasing flooding risk from rising sea levels, erosion, and permafrost melting. | 1987 | |
| Quinault Indian Nation villages of Taholah and Queets | Washington's Olympic Peninsula, United States | 660 | Susceptibility to flooding and landslides due to rising sea levels, resulting in planned relocation to higher ground. | 2014 | |
| Domaljevac-Šamac | Posavina, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,000+ | Repeated flooding; considered the first permanent climate migration in Europe along with other areas impacted by the 2014 Balkan floods | 2014 | |
| Kopanice | Posavina, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 280 | Repeated flooding, 15-20% of population permanently left after the 2014 Balkan floods | 2014 | |
| Orašje | Posavina, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 19,861 | Repeated flooding, about 50% of the working age population left the city after the 2014 Balkan floods | 2014 | |
| Cotul Morii | Hîncești District, Moldova | 440 families | Ordered by the federal government to be relocated 15 km away from its original location due to significant flooding. Officially abandoned by state decree, although 60 families returned despite there being no running electricity or water. | 2010 | |
| Fairbourne | Wales, United Kingdom | 400 homes | Rising sea levels and erosion, planned managed retreat to completely abandoned by 2055. | 2010 | |
| Saint-Louis | Senegal | 254,171 | Sea level rise and susceptibility to flooding and storm surge, where up to 80% of its area could be flooded by 2080. | ||
| La Push, Washington | United States | 371 | Rising sea levels leading to greater susceptibility to flooding and tsunamis, resulting in the community moving the buildings in the village to higher ground. | 2017 | |
| Money Island, New Jersey | Cumberland County, New Jersey | 20+ | Sea level rise and Hurricane Sandy, resulting in state buyback of properties to convert into wildlife sanctuaries. | 2012 | |
| Oakwood Beach | Oakwood, New Jersey | Susceptibility to sea level rise and flooding due to low elevation, resulting in state property buyback programs following significant damage during Hurricane Sandy. | 2012 | ||
| Nuatambu | Solomon Islands | 34 families | Severe erosion and rising sea levels submerging half of its settlements. | 2011 | |
| Tuvalu | Oceania | 11,000 | Sea level rise, resulting in resettlement plans and agreements with Australia to enable climate-related mobility for its citizens | 2023 | |
| West Auckland | Auckland, New Zealand | 319,566 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks. | 2023 | |
| Westport | West Coast, New Zealand | 4,250 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks. | 2023 | |
| South Dunedin | Dunedin, New Zealand | 2,500 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks. | 2023 | |
| Southshore | Christchurch, New Zealand | 1,041 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks. | 2023 | |
| Petone | Lower Hutt, New Zealand | 8,330 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks. | 2023 | |
| Whakatāne | Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand | 16,850 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks for certain regions of the town. | 2023 | |
| Whanganui | Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand | 48,900 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks for certain regions of the city. | 2023 | |
| Whangārei | Northland, New Zealand | 56,900 | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks for certain regions of the city. | 2023 | |
| Esk Valley | Hawke Bay, New Zealand | 236 households | Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks following Cyclone Gabrielle. | 2023 | |
| Ebro Delta | Province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain | 50,000 | Rising sea levels triggering managed retreat plans for areas closest to the sea. | 2009 | |
| Holderness | East Riding of Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom | 11,993 | Highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe due to its soft soil and rising sea levels. | ||
| Hunstanton | Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 4,229 | Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat. | 1996 | |
| Wells-next-the-Sea | Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 2,165 | Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat. | 1996 | |
| Blakeney | Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 801 | Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat. | 1996 | |
| Sheringham | Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 7,367 | Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat. | 1996 | |
| Cromer | Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 7,683 | Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat. | 1996 | |
| Mundesley | Norfolk, England, United Kingdom | 2,758 | Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat. | 1996 |
Gallery
See also
- Climate migration
- Environmental migrant
- Extreme event attribution
- Great Filter
- Managed retreat
- List of landmarks destroyed or damaged by climate change
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