Environmental migration in the Pacific: resettlement and legal frameworks for protection

Environmental migration is not a new phenomenon in the Pacific. Pacific Islanders have moved across great distances in the past and environmental threats have been among the triggers. However, long-term climatic processes suggest that environmental migration will increase over the coming years. The Pacific region, with its low-elevation island nations, is particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges, and is predicted to be among the areas where the adverse effects of environmental change will be felt most keenly. This thesis examines the role of law and legal policy towards migration and protection of environmental migrants in the Pacific. Its aim is twofold: to identify admission opportunities for Pacific environmental migrants in Pacific Rim countries, and to explore avenues for protecting the culture and identity of resettled migrants in their host communities. The study is a multidisciplinary thesis by publication, comprising seven articles that have been published or accepted for publication. The first two explore migration opportunities, while the other five are case studies corresponding to what the thesis claims to be attempted (Nauru), failed (Bikini) and successful (Banaba) cases of resettlement in the Pacific. The thesis adopts a range of methodologies, including doctrinal analysis, archival work and qualitative interviews. The thesis concludes that, absent an international regime, the most pragmatic approach for dealing with environmentally-displaced peoples in the Pacific is through a liberal implementation of domestic migration policies. Additionally, the promotion of minority rights and the protection of the collective identity of environmental migrants in their host societies are critical components of successful long-term resettlement