Climate Change-Induced Migration and Sustainable Development: Policy Analysis and Adaptation Strategies in the Context of Georgia

Abstract

This study investigates climate change-induced migration as a structural impediment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Georgia, evaluating the transition of state policy from reactive crisis management toward proactive adaptive frameworks.

Using a mixed-methods design, the analysis draws on quantitative data from 1,846 households across 30 municipalities and 176 villages, supplemented by 45 semi-structured interviews with local officials and a critical review of Decree ?779 and the 2014 State Strategy.

Grounded in institutional inertia theory, the findings reveal a "policy paradox": state intervention-a 30,000 GEL cap for physical relocation-precipitates agrarian decapitalization. 72% of resettled households lack sufficient agricultural land, while 54% experience secondary, involuntary urbanization. Thus, current policies facilitate the spatial transposition of poverty from disaster-prone regions to urban peripheries rather than mitigating vulnerability.

The paper identifies systemic dysfunction in multi-level governance and information asymmetries between central and municipal authorities as key barriers to climate resilience. Recommendations include financial indexation, agrarian reintegration packages, and enhanced municipal fiscal autonomy. The analytical framework offers scalable insights for other transition economies facing climate-induced demographic shifts.

 Keywords: Climate Change; Eco-migration; Sustainable Development Goals; Policy Analysis; Institutional Inertia; Georgia.