Abstract: Migration is widely understood to be a key adaptation response to the increasing pressures climate impacts introduce across the globe, one that provides pathways for mobility when the impacts are unbearable in situ. To date, however, the conceptual history of adaptation and what it means for the types of solutions it forwards, has been obscured to the detriment of those most exposed to phenomena like climate-induced migration – whether it entails cross-border movement or the immobility experienced by “trapped populations.” Drawing on the groundbreaking and provocative work of Richardson et. al and Jones et.al, this talk will apply the analytic lens of counteradaptation to better understand why migration as adaptation is not providing the relief envisioned. As noted in recent literature, “adaptation” is a biological term that has itself migrated from evolutionary biology into climate discourse, losing critical depth and nuance along its journey. The most evident outcome is that technocratic solutions obscure the interplay of relevant agents, including the historical and political conditions that produce disproportionate vulnerability in the first place. Counteradaptation provides an opportunity to add those dynamics to the equation and offers a clear-eyed assessment of adaptation as a pillar of climate governance. More important than its diagnostic ability, however, understanding counteradaptation is quite powerful for what it counsels regarding the potential for transformative interventions. Leveraging recent developments in migration policy in Kenya, this talk will invite researchers to turn their attention to the innovations at the margins of conventional climate governance, to understand how and why those innovations are successful at scale, and provide insight into the durability and broader applicability of those approaches.