Climate Change, Policy Gaps, and Rural Mobility Pressures in Southern Europe: Insights from Greece

Artemis Androni, Ghent University (Belgium) (Greece)

Climate change is reshaping rural livelihoods in Southern Europe, yet its link to mobility and displacement is often overlooked. Drawing on fieldwork in the Peloponnesus region of Greece, this poster highlights how drought, irregular rainfall, and soil degradation overlap with gaps in European and national adaptation policies. Rather than producing direct “climate refugees,” these dynamics create slow-onset mobility pressures: younger generations leave farming, smallholders abandon cultivation, and rural communities face depopulation. By centering smallholder farmers’ voices, the research shows how technocratic policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy can unintentionally reinforce inequalities and accelerate rural outmigration. The findings invite us to rethink environmental peacebuilding in Europe: not only preventing conflict abroad, but also sustaining cohesion, equity, and resilience within EU member states. This contribution underscores the need for inclusive, justice-oriented approaches that link climate adaptation with peacebuilding in Europe’s internal peripheries.