Highlights of MR2025 – Earth State
In mid-June, more than 400 scholars, policy makers and practitioners participated in MR2025: Working by Columbia Climate School in partnership with the Global Climate Mobility and TAMER Social Enterprise and the Global Climate Center for Climate Change to conduct mobility, adaptation and well-being in a changing climate. Since its inception in 2019, the conference has been convened every two years to promote dialogue on emerging topics in climate change, including local adaptations, custodial retreats, green infrastructure and community resilience to climate law and policy. Over the course of three days, MR2025 highlighted these key topics through panel conferences, hands-on workshops and research presentations from around the world.
Local and international frameworks
The conference opened on Monday with a keynote speech by Costa Rica’s 48th President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, who discussed the country’s key decarbonization strategies and lessons learned from the resilience of the Pacific Island state. The keynote was followed by an expert panel, led by Alex de Sherbinin, Chairman of the Integrated Earth System Information Center within the Columbia Climate School. De Sherbinin reflects on the expanding themes of this year’s conference, pointing out how a separate management retreat would not include all aspects of climate mobility challenges, especially in the Global South.
Several meetings of locally-led climate action presented emerging global research and policy frameworks targeting climate-induced displacement in urban areas. A roundtable chaired by Loretta Lees, director of the City Initiative at Boston University, explores the discovery of displacement, resettlement, adaptation and resilience caused by global climate. These discussions explore how receiving cities respond to innovative responses to climate-induced displacement, and how the principles of justice and equity guide more inclusive urban adaptability, which becomes increasingly urgent as climate impacts intensify.
Global Community
One of MR2025’s outstanding moments was Tuesday’s poster meeting and evening reception, which presented emerging research and innovative solutions at the intersection of climate science and policy. The event caught a glimpse of key topics such as ecosystem-based adaptability, localized governance, land use transformation, and promoting immigration across different global environments.
In addition to the study itself, many presenters and attendees reflected on the growing challenges of cutting federal funding cuts for long-term projects and forced researchers to adapt, pivot, or expand their work.
“We’re seeing cuts in funding and travel restrictions that affect researchers and government employees,” said Sheehan Moore, conference organizer and postdoctoral fellow at Columbia Climate School. “While we thank the Hybrid Conference for its flexibility with attendees who were unable to join us in person, the extent of the impact is very obvious and should shock us all.”
Still, there is a sense of solidarity in the community. The climax of the site-based research project reflects collective commitment to promote critical work in the face of the climate crisis. The researchers presented case studies of hurricane disaster management in Florida, retreat solutions in Puerto Rico, flood risks in South Asia, mangrove protection measures in Sierra Leone and beyond. This exchange of ideas not only illustrates the urgency and scale of the climate mobility challenges, but also reaffirms the importance of collaboration, creativity and ongoing support in moving this work forward.
The future of climate flow
The conference concluded with a keynote speech by Jesse M. Keenan, associate professor and director of the Center for Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University. Draw inspiration from the premise of his forthcoming book, North: The Future of Post-Climate America” Keenan reflects the dangers of a “climate paradise”, displacement patterns across communities and other obstacles that will only continue to emerge with the impact of climate change, which will only appear in the United States. The subsequent keynote was a panel discussion on housing challenges in the face of climate change.
After several days of conversation, speeches and community building, conference participants expressed excitement about the ever-expanding space for climate mobility. Jola Ajibade, a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University, attended the meeting, noting that “purpose, care and profound reflection of how different researchers, practitioners, governments and communities participate in this field and what we must keep moving forward despite the complexity of the ongoing climate and social crises”. Charles Huyck, executive vice president of ImageCat, an international risk management innovation company, commented that work in the field will continue because it is necessary. “There’s too much money jeopardized,” he said. “This battle will be the way we take insight together.”
Despite the ongoing challenges and uncertainties in climate space, hope remains. “The sharing and discussion of research in a space like MR2025 is more urgent than ever, and we hope that in 2027, we can welcome everyone we missed this year,” Moore said.
