HABITABLE Project Synthesis Report

The project HABITABLE – Linking Climate Change, Habitability and Social Tipping Points: Scenarios for Climate Migration – aimed to significantly advance our understanding of the interlinkages between climate change impacts and migration and displacement patterns, and to better anticipate their future evolution. Bringing together 22 partners from 18 countries, HABITABLE (2020–2024) serves as a reference project in climate-mobility research.

This project synthesis report has two core aims: (1) to summarise the practical, conceptual, and methodological contributions of HABITABLE to the field of research; and (2) to describe a number of intersecting and complementary novel findings generated by the project, made possible through the triangulation of diverse methods and methodological innovations that advance research on the climate–migration nexus. These include quantitative surveys, Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM), qualitative interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and quantitative modelling.

The project made significant advances over previous efforts in the field through several methodological and practical innovations, including: the co-development of research and policy solutions with local researchers and stakeholders through scenario narratives and planning, validated by community participants; the effective use of remote and online coordination tools, which strengthened North–South knowledge exchange during Covid-19; and the systematic integration of gender and social equity across all stages of research, enabling a robust intersectional analysis.

The “Novel Findings” section of this report echoes the four key objectives of the project. First, we develop understandings of migration trends by identifying tipping points at which environmental and social conditions render areas “inhabitable.” Second, we assess how migration reshapes adaptation limits, in order to explore context-specific strategies used by affected populations. Third, gender and social equity considerations are embedded in the project's theoretical framework, data collection processes, analysis, and policy engagement. Lastly, we offer policy recommendations to improve the governance of climate-induced migration and reduce displacement risks, while fostering better integration of climate and migration policies globally.

We include annexes with an extended project bibliography, additional research findings identified in the project, and information about the HABITABLE final conference objectives and agenda.