List of areas depopulated due to climate change

This article contains dynamic lists that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

This article lists several areas, regions, and municipalities that have either been completely or markedly depopulated, or are involved in plans for depopulation or relocation due to anthropogenic climate change. Several factors created or worsened by climate change can be responsible for necessitating managed retreat or the relocation of people and/or infrastructure. These include rising sea levels, increased flooding risk, changes to the makeup of the land (e.g. a habitable area becoming a wetland), coastal erosion, increased susceptibility to dangerous cyclones, droughts, water shortages, wildfires, and other factors, all of which can overlap with each other to enhance the risk of danger or inhabitability of a formerly populated region.

Satellite imaging of Cartí Sugtupu, Panama in 2022, showing rising sea levels submerging the island and forcing hundreds of indigenous Guna people to relocate.

The lists contain a general number of the number of people moved or at risk of being moved due to climate change-related causes, as well as rough dates for when programs to relocate were first created or for when a climate disaster first caused significant forcible displacement of a population.

Lists

Completely depopulated

Area	Location	Number impacted	Reasons for/details of depopulation	Date(s) started	References
Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw community of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana	Louisiana, United States	~100	Saltwater intrusion and sea level rise, "the first migration of a total community in the state of Louisiana"	2016	[1][2]
Cartí Sugtupu	San Blas Archipelago in the Guna Yala province of Panama	927	In the process of complete relocation due to rising sea levels. The first island in Panama to be displaced due to climate change.	2015	[3][4][5][6][7][8]
A neighborhood of Željezno Polje	Žepče, Bosnia and Herzegovina	2,000+	Catastrophic flooding during the 2014 Balkan floods caused complete destruction and depopulation of a section of Željezno Polje, resulting in a "ghost neighborhood".	2014	[9][10]
Vunidogoloa	Vanua Levu, Fiji	140	Original location became the first town in Fiji to be depopulated and relocated due to persistent flooding, saltwater intrusion, and coastal erosion, becoming a ghost town.	2004	[11][12][13]
Tukuraki	Viti Levu, Fiji		Susceptibility to landslides and flooding from cyclones.	2017	[11][13]
Nabavatu	Vanua Levu, Fiji	Nearly 400	Devastated by Cyclone Ana, depopulated due to its proximity to the coast and susceptibility to flooding and storm surge.	2021	[11][14]
Sea Breeze, New Jersey	Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States	19	Increased flooding risk resulting in property owners collectively agreeing to sell their properties to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.	2008	[15]

Significantly impacted

Area	Location	Number impacted	Reasons for/details of depopulation	Date(s) started	References
Lake Chad Basin	Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon	30,000,000	Droughts, floods, and the lake's contraction due to climate change, secondarily intensifying regional conflicts.		[16][17][18][19]
Sudd region	South Sudan	1,000,000	Significant flooding increases and lack of drainage leading to permanent conversion of settlements and agricultural land into wetlands.	2017	[20][21][22]
Sundarbans	Khulna Division, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India	Up to 70,000	Rising sea levels	2020	[23]
Satabhaya, Odisha	Kendrapara district of Odisha, India	650 families	Rising sea levels and coastal erosion, requiring state relocation to Bagapatia.	2016	[24]
Minqin County	Gansu Province, China	10,000	Water shortages	2007
Xihaigu	Ningxia, China	Hundreds of thousands	Water shortages	1983	[25]
Paradise, California	Sierra Nevada region of the United States	20,000+	Camp Fire, exacerbated by drought	2018	[26][27]
Kivalina	Northwest Arctic, Alaska, United States	444	Sea level rise, flooding, sea wave erosion, and bank erosion impacting local water quality, resulting in a planned relocation 12 km (7.5 mi) from the present site.	2007	[28][29][30]
Newtok	Bethel, Alaska, United States	209	Erosion due to melting permafrost and increasing flooding risk, requiring movement to Mertarvik.	2019	[31][32]
Shaktoolik	Nome, Alaska, United States	212	Increasing flooding risk and erosion	2009	[33][34]
Shishmaref	Nome, Alaska, United States	576	Increasing flooding risk from rising sea levels, erosion, and permafrost melting.	1987	[35][36][37]
Quinault Indian Nation villages of Taholah and Queets	Washington's Olympic Peninsula, United States	660	Susceptibility to flooding and landslides due to rising sea levels, resulting in planned relocation to higher ground.	2014	[38][39][40]
Domaljevac-Šamac	Posavina, Bosnia and Herzegovina	1,000+	Repeated flooding; considered the first permanent climate migration in Europe along with other areas impacted by the 2014 Balkan floods	2014	[10]
Kopanice	Posavina, Bosnia and Herzegovina	280	Repeated flooding, 15-20% of population permanently left after the 2014 Balkan floods	2014	[10]
Orašje	Posavina, Bosnia and Herzegovina	19,861	Repeated flooding, about 50% of the working age population left the city after the 2014 Balkan floods	2014	[10]
Cotul Morii	Hîncești District, Moldova	440 families	Ordered by the federal government to be relocated 15 km away from its original location due to significant flooding. Officially abandoned by state decree, although 60 families returned despite there being no running electricity or water.	2010	[41]
Fairbourne	Wales, United Kingdom	400 homes	Rising sea levels and erosion, planned managed retreat to completely abandoned by 2055.	2010	[42][43]
Saint-Louis	Senegal	254,171	Sea level rise and susceptibility to flooding and storm surge, where up to 80% of its area could be flooded by 2080.		[44]
La Push, Washington	United States	371	Rising sea levels leading to greater susceptibility to flooding and tsunamis, resulting in the community moving the buildings in the village to higher ground.	2017	[45][46]
Money Island, New Jersey	Cumberland County, New Jersey	20+	Sea level rise and Hurricane Sandy, resulting in state buyback of properties to convert into wildlife sanctuaries.	2012	[47]
Oakwood Beach	Oakwood, New Jersey		Susceptibility to sea level rise and flooding due to low elevation, resulting in state property buyback programs following significant damage during Hurricane Sandy.	2012	[48][49][50]
Nuatambu	Solomon Islands	34 families	Severe erosion and rising sea levels submerging half of its settlements.	2011	[51]
Tuvalu	Oceania	11,000	Sea level rise, resulting in resettlement plans and agreements with Australia to enable climate-related mobility for its citizens	2023	[52][53][54][55]
West Auckland	Auckland, New Zealand	319,566	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Westport	West Coast, New Zealand	4,250	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
South Dunedin	Dunedin, New Zealand	2,500	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Southshore	Christchurch, New Zealand	1,041	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Petone	Lower Hutt, New Zealand	8,330	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Whakatāne	Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand	16,850	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks for certain regions of the town.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Whanganui	Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand	48,900	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks for certain regions of the city.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Whangārei	Northland, New Zealand	56,900	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks for certain regions of the city.	2023	[56][57][58][59]
Esk Valley	Hawke Bay, New Zealand	236 households	Rising sea levels leading to extensive flooding, resulting in relocation and government property buybacks following Cyclone Gabrielle.	2023	[59][60][61]
Ebro Delta	Province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain	50,000	Rising sea levels triggering managed retreat plans for areas closest to the sea.	2009	[62][63][64]
Holderness	East Riding of Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom	11,993	Highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe due to its soft soil and rising sea levels.		[65][66]
Hunstanton	Norfolk, England, United Kingdom	4,229	Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat.	1996	[67][68]
Wells-next-the-Sea	Norfolk, England, United Kingdom	2,165	Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat.	1996	[67][69]
Blakeney	Norfolk, England, United Kingdom	801	Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat.	1996	[67][70]
Sheringham	Norfolk, England, United Kingdom	7,367	Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat.	1996	[67][71]
Cromer	Norfolk, England, United Kingdom	7,683	Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat.	1996	[67][72]
Mundesley	Norfolk, England, United Kingdom	2,758	Severe coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, requiring managed retreat.	1996	[67][73]

Gallery

Pictures of regions depopulated or susceptible to depopulation due to climate change-related factors

• 
  Cartí Sugtupu, Panama
• 
  Displacement of people from Lake Chad Basin in 2017
• 
  Settlements in the Sudd, South Sudan, on flooded wetlands.
• 
  A mud house in Mongla of Bagerhat district, Bangladesh, nearly inundated by rising water levels.
• 
  Destruction in Paradise, California, caused by the Camp Fire in 2018.
• 
  Kivalina, Alaska
• 
  Tuvalu, Funafuti Atoll

See also

• Climate migration
• Environmental migrant
• Extreme event attribution
• Great Filter
• Managed retreat
• List of landmarks destroyed or damaged by climate change