tend to resist leaving exposed settlements until approximately 50% of available land has been lost . Movements away from highly exposed areas may have longer-term demographic implications for inland settlements , but this requires further study. Based on the available empirical evidence, sea level rise does not appear to currently be a primary motivation for international migration originating in small island states in the Indian and Pacific Oceans; rather, economic considerations and family reunification appear to be the dominant drivers . However, climatic drivers of migration are anticipated to take on a much greater causal role in migration decisions in coming decades  and may discourage return migration to small island states . Even under best-case sustainable development scenarios, rising sea levels and associated hazards create risks of involuntary displacement in low-lying coastal areas and should be expected to generate a need for organised relocation of populations where protective infrastructure cannot be constructed . In high emissions scenarios, low-lying island states may face the long-term risk of becoming uninhabitable, creating the potential for a new phenomenon of climate-induced statelessness .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report