Climate Change, Human (Im)mobility, and Governance in Asia

Climate change and human (im)mobility are increasingly recognized as deeply intertwined political and socio-structural phenomena. While empirical evidence documenting climate-induced displacement, immobility, and vulnerability continues to expand, much of the existing research still treats governance as a neutral framework rather than an arena of contention. Recent studies highlight how decisions about who moves, who stays, and whose losses matter are shaped as much by ideology and power as by environmental or economic conditions. In Asia, these dynamics are particularly pronounced. The region’s complex intersection of institutional fragility, environmental precarity, rapid development, and entrenched inequality provides a critical vantage point for understanding how climate change interacts with mobility and governance in multifaceted ways. Yet, despite a growing body of evidence, the normative, relational, and ideological dimensions of these processes remain undertheorized, calling for a more integrated and reflective approach.This Research Topic aims to explore how climate governance and human (im)mobility in Asia can be understood not simply as technical or administrative challenges but as multi-layered political, moral, and social processes. It seeks to bridge empirical rigor with normative engagement, generating a space where researchers can interrogate the ideological underpinnings of climate action, examine the informal and relational structures that shape adaptation and displacement, and rethink theoretical frameworks from the ground up. The main objective is to showcase how contextualized, evidence-based studies from Asia contribute to reimagining the global conversation on climate mobility, governance, and justice. By drawing on comparative politics, policy analysis, sociology, and critical geography, this Research Topic invites contributions that advance more inclusive, reflexive, and grounded understandings of climate and mobility in a rapidly transforming region.The scope of this Research Topic spans interdisciplinary and cross-methodological contributions but focuses specifically on Asian contexts as sites of empirical and theoretical innovation. It welcomes work that pushes beyond descriptive analyses to uncover the contested, relational, and value-laden nature of governance, mobility, and environmental adaptation.To gather further insights into climate governance and mobility dynamics in Asia, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Climate-induced displacement and immobility, and the political and institutional conditions shaping them• Informal, hybrid, and relational governance arrangements in contexts of environmental stress• Vulnerability and intersectionality: the roles of gender, class, ethnicity, and indigeneity• Climate communication and narrative framing in policy and media discourse• GIS and risk mapping methodologies for understanding climate exposure and mobility patterns• Water security, environmental precarity, and governance responses to displacement• Psychosocial dimensions of climate mobility, including grief, place attachment, and identity transformation Topic editors: Noe John Sacramento, Thida Chaiyapa, Banthoon Phankaew Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83402/climate-change-human-immobility-and-governance-in-asia