Welcome to the Climate Change-Induced Displacement Citizen Science (CCDCS) Lab
Climate change-induced displacement is one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. With a staggering 60% of refugees and internally displaced people residing in nations highly vulnerable to climate change, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater. At York University, the Climate Change-Induced Displacement Citizen Science (CCDCS) Lab stands at the forefront of addressing this issue.
Our Mission
The CCDCS Lab was established to study displacement trends, analyze their consequences, and develop effective short-term emergency responses and long-term adaptation strategies. Our mission is to develop a collaborative citizen science framework that not only gathers critical data but also empowers citizens in climate-vulnerable areas to become active stewards of their local environment.
Our Approach
A unique initiative was born from a partnership between the Queen Elizabeth Scholar Exchange Program, CIFAL York, and ADERSIM, our lab combines advanced scientific methods with the invaluable power of community engagement. We integrate cutting-edge tools—including drone-based mapping and AI-driven data analytics—with traditional fieldwork. By working hand-in-hand, our team of scientists, students, and local citizens co-creates a deeper understanding of climate-induced displacement to build lasting solutions.
Global Impact
The core of our work is conducting research with citizens in impacted areas. The knowledge, experience, and strategies developed through this collaborative process are designed to be shared and adapted globally, helping other communities build resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Why Climate Change-Induced Displacement Matters in Philippines?
History
Climate change-induced displacement is one of the most urgent and under-addressed challenges in the Philippines because of the country’s high exposure to typhoons, sea-level rise, storm surges, and chronic flooding. As an archipelagic nation located along the Pacific typhoon belt and the Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences some of the most intense tropical cyclones in the world. Coastal municipalities such as Hagonoy, Bulacan, in the Manila Bay area face recurring tidal flooding, land subsidence, and saline intrusion that progressively erode livelihoods, damage homes, and force families to evacuate—sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. Displacement is not only a humanitarian issue; it is a development, governance, and planning challenge. When fisherfolk lose access to viable fishing grounds, when informal settlers relocate to higher-risk urban areas, or when communities are repeatedly evacuated without long-term solutions, social vulnerability deepens. Women, children, elderly persons, and low-income households are disproportionately affected. Without proactive planning, climate-induced displacement can strain municipal resources, increase informal settlement growth, disrupt education and healthcare access, and undermine local economies. Addressing displacement through community-driven data, participatory planning, and preventive adaptation strategies is therefore essential to building long-term resilience and ensuring that climate adaptation efforts protect both people and place.
Opportunities
Climate change-induced displacement in the Philippines presents an opportunity to rethink local planning, strengthen community resilience, and promote inclusive governance. Because many affected municipalities, such as those along Manila Bay, already have active Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) structures, there is strong institutional potential to integrate displacement planning into existing frameworks. Community networks—especially among fisherfolk, youth groups, women’s associations, and barangay volunteers—are highly organized and capable of contributing local knowledge to adaptation strategies. Advances in accessible technologies such as drone mapping, participatory GIS, and mobile-based data collection also create opportunities for citizen science to generate localized evidence that can inform municipal decision-making. Additionally, the Philippines has a growing policy focus on climate adaptation and resilience, creating space to pilot innovative tools such as serious games and community-driven planning models that can later be scaled nationally.
Challenges
The primary challenge lies in the sheer scale and complexity of climate-induced displacement. It is a "threat multiplier" that intersects with and exacerbates existing social, economic, and political vulnerabilities, making it difficult to isolate and address. Despite these opportunities, climate-induced displacement in the Philippines is complex and difficult to manage. Many coastal and low-lying communities experience repeated flooding compounded by land subsidence, making permanent in-place adaptation costly and sometimes unfeasible. Informal settlements often lack secure land tenure, complicating relocation planning and access to compensation. Municipal governments frequently operate under limited budgets and must balance immediate disaster response with long-term adaptation investments. Data gaps remain a significant barrier: displacement is often temporary, cyclical, or undocumented, making it difficult to quantify trends and design targeted interventions. Social resistance to relocation is another major challenge, as communities are deeply tied to livelihood sources, cultural identity, and social networks. Without participatory engagement, relocation programs risk creating new vulnerabilities rather than reducing them.
Solutions
Effective responses to climate change-induced displacement in the Philippines require integrated, community-driven, and forward-looking approaches. Prevention should be prioritized through risk-informed land-use planning, nature-based solutions such as mangrove restoration, flood-resilient housing design, and early warning systems. Where relocation is necessary, managed retreat strategies must be participatory, livelihood-sensitive, and supported by adequate social protection mechanisms. Citizen science can play a critical role by generating localized flood maps, documenting displacement patterns, and strengthening dialogue between communities and local governments. Tools such as community-designed serious games and participatory workshops can help stakeholders understand trade-offs between adaptation, relocation, and infrastructure investment before crises occur. Ultimately, combining local knowledge, scientific data, and inclusive governance structures offers the most sustainable pathway to reducing displacement risks while safeguarding community dignity and resilience.
The CCDCS Lab Key Research Focus Areas
Mapping and Modeling Climate-Induced Displacement Patterns
- This research focus area examines how and where climate-related hazards—such as tidal flooding, storm surges, land subsidence, and extreme rainfall—are driving displacement in coastal municipalities like Hagonoy, Bulacan. The objective is to document both temporary and permanent displacement trends over the past decade and identify spatial hotspots of repeated evacuation or relocation. Using participatory mapping, drone imagery, household surveys, and municipal records, the project will generate community-validated displacement maps and timelines. These data will help distinguish between short-term evacuation cycles and long-term migration patterns, while also identifying which demographic groups are most affected. By modeling risk exposure and recurrence, this focus area supports evidence-based planning and informs proactive displacement prevention strategies.
Livelihood Vulnerability and Economic Triggers of Displacement
- This research stream investigates the human consequences of climate-induced displacement. Using a combination of traditional fieldwork, community surveys, and citizen-reported data, this area examines the impacts on livelihoods, public health, food and water security, and the loss of cultural heritage. The focus is on understanding the lived experiences of displaced individuals and communities to ensure that response strategies are grounded in human needs.
Community Resilience and Adaptation Strategies
- This focus area explores how locally driven adaptation measures can reduce displacement risk before relocation becomes necessary. This includes assessing the effectiveness of mangrove restoration, elevated housing modifications, improved drainage systems, and community early warning networks. The research will document existing grassroots practices and evaluate their protective capacity under future climate projections. By integrating scientific analysis with community knowledge, this focus area aims to identify scalable, low-cost interventions that enhance in-place resilience. Ultimately, it supports the development of integrated adaptation pathways that prioritize prevention while recognizing when planned relocation may be the safer long-term solution.
Governance, Planning, and Managed Retreat Mechanisms
- This focus area evaluates the institutional capacity of local governments and barangays to anticipate, manage, and prevent climate-induced displacement. It examines land-use planning policies, zoning regulations, social protection programs, evacuation systems, and relocation frameworks. Particular attention is given to decision-making processes around “stay, adapt, or relocate” scenarios and how resource constraints influence these choices. By combining expert consultations with community feedback, the research will identify governance gaps, coordination challenges, and best practices for participatory relocation planning. The objective is to strengthen municipal displacement management strategies that are equitable, transparent, and livelihood-sensitive.
Become CCDCS Sponsor
The CCDCS Lab serves as a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary research, education, and community engagement. Committed to addressing the environmental and social challenges posed by climate-induced displacement, the lab integrates citizen science approaches to gather vital data, advance scientific understanding, and strengthen the connection between communities and their changing environments. Through collaborative partnerships, the CCDCS Lab promotes knowledge exchange, resilience-building, and sustainable solutions for displaced and vulnerable populations. All partners and sponsors will be recognized on this platform and during CCDCS Lab initiatives and events in appreciation of their invaluable support.
We welcome support in a variety of forms, with several key areas where your contribution can create meaningful and measurable impact:
Tailored sponsorship opportunities — customized to align with your organization’s priorities and social responsibility goals, ensuring that your support directly advances scientific research, community resilience, and climate adaptation initiatives.
Financial sponsorship — to sustain the lab’s core operations; fund targeted research projects such as climate displacement mapping, risk assessment, and community resilience studies; provide stipends for student researchers and interns; and cover participation costs for community members in our training and capacity-building programs.
Equipment donations — including field and monitoring tools, data collection and recording devices, computing hardware for spatial and statistical analysis, and other research infrastructure essential for field-based and participatory studies.
In-kind support — such as technical expertise in data analytics, GIS mapping, disaster risk management, policy development, community engagement, and capacity-building workshops; or maintenance and training related to field and lab equipment.
Your partnership will strengthen the CCDCS Lab’s mission to bridge scientific research with community action and to advance knowledge on climate change-induced displacement for a more resilient and equitable future.
The sponsorship application form can be found here.
The SLCS Lab Team
Executive Team
Dr. Ali Asgary
Professor, York University, Director, CIFAL York, Executive Director, ADERSIM
Dr. Adriano Solis
Professor, York University, School of Administrative Studies
Dr. Maleknaz Nayebi
Associate Professor, York University, Associate Director, CIFAL York
Dr. Michelle R. Palumbarit
Associate Professor, University of Philipines
Coordinators
Peyman Naeemi
PhD student, Humanities Depaartment, York University,
Francesco del Carpio
PhD Student, Operations Coordinator, CIFAL York, York University
Mahbod Aarabi
ADERSIM Coordinator, SLCS Lab, Drone Sensing and Water Sampling Task Force Coordinator
Join the CCDCS Lab
Membership of the CCDCS lab is in a voluntary basis, however to get the most benefit from this membership and to effectively contribute to the mission and vision of the Lab we expect members to join at least one of
We welcome membership from everyone interested in the missions and activities of CCDCD Lab. Please complete and submit the membership form to become a member. As a member, you will receive information about our training workshop and activities and can join our projects and contribute to data collection, analysis, modeling, simulation, reporting, planning, policy development, actions and much more.
How to Reach Us
CIFAL York
cifaldirector@yorku.ca