CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION IN BAYELSA STATE: A HISTORICAL STUDY OF DISPLACEMENT AND RESETTLEMENT, 1999–2025

Abstract

This study examined the historical relationship between climate change, environmental degradation, and forced migration in Bayelsa State, from 1999 to 2025. Drawing on historical analysis, environmental records, policy documents, and community narratives, and adopting the use of the Environmental Migration Theory as template for analysis, the study interrogated how rising sea levels, recurrent flooding, coastal erosion, and the compounding effects of petroleum extraction have progressively displaced indigenous and rural communities across the state. The study situated Bayelsa within the broader Niger Delta ecological crisis and argues that climate-induced migration in the region is both a humanitarian emergency and a governance failure. It traced key displacement episodes, analysed patterns of resettlement, and evaluated the inadequacy of state and federal responses. The study concluded that without a historically informed, rights-based framework for climate adaptation, displacement in Bayelsa State will intensify in the coming decades, with profound implications for livelihoods, cultural identity, and regional stability.