Sailing the Waves on Our Own: Climate Change Migration, Self-Determination and the Carteret Islands

Climate change poses a significant threat to island communities’ right to self-determination and forces us to consider how this right can be upheld when people are displaced by climate change. The relocation of communities from the Carteret Islands illustrates the complexities surrounding the right to self-determination in cases of climate-induced migration. This article highlights some of the difficulties that the Carteret Islanders face in achieving self-determination, including land accessibility, environmental and cultural differences with the host community, governance and funding. As the right to self-determination is foundational for other human rights, it is important to consider how island communities can pursue their political, economic, social and cultural development when relocating because of climate change.