GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Status

Accepted

Abstract

This Comment proposes to apply social justice-oriented safeguards to vulnerable communities in the climate migration context, focusing on recommendations to diminish the vulnerability of communities in two climate migration case studies in the United States. Part I describes the troubling realities of climate gentrification in Florida as well as forced displacement from coastal areas for native communities in Alaska. Part II addresses the existing federal and state legal frameworks in these contexts, and how gaps in each framework exacerbate the vulnerability of these overburdened communities. Part III proposes law reforms to address these concerns. It first recommends adjustments to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) authority that can help limit these vulnerabilities. It then addresses adaptive legal mechanisms in Florida to limit the burdens of climate gentrification on vulnerable communities. Finally, it proposes vulnerability assessments and funding mechanisms to protect Native Alaskan communities that need to be relocated away from coastal areas to safer inland destinations.

GW Paper Series

2025-28

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