Climate Change and Ontological Security

Post by: Brianna Arnold

The Pacific Island Nation of Tuvalu is one nation that is experiencing rising sea levels. These rising sea levels could result in the island completely disappearing. The main industries in the nation are fishing and tourism. The ongoing climate change crisis would result in the population of nearly 11,000 having to relocate and ultimately become migrants or refugees. This threat is a threat to the ontological security of both the citizens of Tuvalu and the citizens of the countries where the migrants will go.

Ontological security is when the identity of an individual or group is threatened. In other words, there is a threat to your normal way of life. Another way to think of ontological security is your worldview is altered and the way you describe who you are is changed. This type of security threat is possible even when there is no physical harm to individuals.

There could be a threat to the ontological security of the people of Tuvalu mainly because their home would disappear. To most people, where they live is one of the first aspects in defining their identity and taking that away is detrimental. In this case, it can be argued that what is happening to the people of Tuvalu is out of their control, therefore it could be more detrimental then other instances of migration in history. The citizens of Tuvalu would also have to adapt to a new climate and a new way of life. As previously mentioned, the main industries in Tuvalu are fishing and tourism. If the people migrate to countries that do not have these industries, they would have to learn new skills to adapt to the new place they are living. According to Eberhard Weber, the author of “Envisioning South-South relations in the fields of environmental change and migration in the Pacific Islands”, these citizens will become “climate-change refugees: with few capacities and skills, little wanted by countries that should receive them, dependent on support and benevolence…”[1] This, as explained in the article, could lead to fighting within the countries.

This connects to the ontological security of the countries receiving the migrants from Tuvalu. The same situation would apply to these citizens. Although the population of Tuvalu is only approximately 11,000 people if there is a large influx of people from a different nation, there could be a sense of losing the identity within these countries. There could be a situation similar to the Syrian refugee crisis where in countries like Germany, there are groups created who are anti-immigrant and they promote negative rhetoric toward the immigrants and the policies that allow them to enter the country. The people who follow these groups do not necessarily have a negative feeling toward the individuals entering their country, but they are seen as a threat to their identity.

In conclusion, the climate change issue, especially in regards to the Pacific Island Nation of Tuvalu, where there is potential for a refugee crisis, is a threat to ontological security both to the migrant nations and the host nations. Although it is unclear whether this refugee crisis will occur, if it does, both sides of the crisis will experience a threat to their way of life and their identity. The best case scenario is for there to be positive assimilation and acceptance and the advantage in this case is there is time to prepare.

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[1] Weber, Eberhard. “Envisioning South-South Relations in the Fields of Environmental Change and Migration in the Pacific Islands - Past, Present and Futures.” Bandung: Journal of the Global South 2, no. 1 (February 5, 2015): 19. http://bandungjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40728-014-0009-z.