Despite the rapid growth in environmental peace and conflict research over the past two decades, the field remains deeply divided, with little (constructive) engagement between the various research streams.

Climate change is forcing people around the world to abandon their homes. In the Pacific Islands, rising sea levels are leaving communities facing tough decisions about relocation. Some are choosing to stay in high-risk areas.

That India is a key actor at the international climate negotiation table was well displayed at the recently concluded Convention of Parties (COP) 27 at Sharm El-Sheikh. The summit which sought a renewed solidarity among the parties to achieve the promises made at Paris in 2015 saw India being an assertive yet cooperative party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

It’s a desperate plan – with a hidden message. The Pacific nation of Tuvalu is planning to create a version of itself in the metaverse, as a response to the existential threat of rising sea levels. Tuvalu’s minister for justice, communication and foreign affairs, Simon Kofe, made the announcement via a chilling digital address to leaders at COP27.

A recent workshop held in Wellington, New Zealand, explored the consequences of the hellish climate change scenario for the security and peace of communities and countries in the Pacific region. At the same time, participants searched for pathways off the highway to hell, tapping into the expertise and experiences of a diverse group of policymakers, practitioners and researchers from the Pacific and beyond.

Let’s be clear, people displaced by climate breakdown are not climate refugees under international law. They are not being forced from their countries because of persecution by their own government. Nor are they migrants. They are not leaving in search of work or education, or to be closer to family. Rather, many millions of people are likely to be dispossessed from their homes by the choices of other countries to continue to pollute the atmosphere, without a legal framework to protect them.