Climate-related in-situ displacement

Whereas displacement typically refers to spatial mobility, the term in-situ displacement describes the phenomenon of becoming displaced without moving. While the concept has been used to explore how unequal social relations, spatial commodification, political marginalization, violent conflict, and place-based narratives can lead to exclusion and disempowerment, in-situ displacement may also result from climate change, as it renders traditional modes of production and lifestyles untenable. This paper includes a theoretical exploration of how the production of spaces intended for value extraction and capital accumulation can induce multiple forms of non-spatial displacement. We then analyse how the term in-situ displacement has been used in critical literature to-date, the extent to which climate mobility literature has engaged with climate-related in-situ displacement, and discuss how research on ecological grief can illuminate the ways in which climate-related in-situ displacement may manifest in certain contexts. We close with a reflection on how future research can strengthen Indigenous means of resilience and resistance, expand communities’ ‘right to stay’, support externally led in-situ adaptation efforts, and potentially, create new dialectical spaces for political action.