CONTEXTUALIZING DRIVERS AND OUTCOMES OF RURAL-TO-URBAN MIGRATION: LESSONS FROM MOZAMBIQUE

Abstract

Migration is a critical strategy for households negotiating environmental risk, yet the extent to which it represents an adaptation remains poorly understood. This dissertation research investigates the relationship between migration and climate change vulnerability using examples from two rural-to-urban migrant communities located in the coastal city of Beira, Mozambique. In order to understand the extent to which adverse weather influences migration decision-making and the vulnerability to climate change experienced by migrants relative to non-migrants, perceptions and lived experiences of adverse weather are explored. Over 2,500 households were mapped from which semi-structured interviews and surveys were conducted with a random sample of migrant (n=79) and non-migrant (n=79) households. Content analysis and descriptive statistics reveal (1) the weather’s influence on rural-to-urban migration falls on a spectrum of attribution, (2) most migrants relocate in response to the impoverishing effects of weather, (3) migrants and non-migrants experience comparable levels of environmental vulnerability in urban settings, and (4) neighborhood characteristics are significant in shaping experiences of urban flood vulnerability. Results indicate that people prefer in situ adaptation regardless of extreme weather, provided resilient economic livelihoods exist and government is held accountable. Decolonizing research methodologies offer a promising path forward to better understand the needs of those vulnerable to climate change and facilitate adaptation to climate change.