Human Cost of Climate Change: how it’s displacing millions of people?

INTRODUCTION

Climate change has altered the global climate patterns. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) accumulation are the primary drivers of climate change. Greenhouse gases form a blanket that traps solar radiation and prevents it from being reflected into space. Due to this, the Earth’s temperature is rising steadily, and the frequency of extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, heat waves, and hurricanes, is increasing.

Climate and environmental changes at any location can lead to numerous losses, including human losses, infrastructure damage, and inadequate access to essential resources such as food and water. Extreme weather events also pose a threat to the safety and security of people residing in that area.

Climate change refugees refer to individuals or communities who are compelled to leave their homes or places of residence due to the effects of climate change. This term also highlights the deadly consequences of climate change and the inadequacy of legal frameworks for protection. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, approximately 59.1 million individuals were displaced in 2021 due to extreme weather events caused by climate change.

The IEP (Institute for Economics and Peace) also forecasts that this number will rise to 1.5 billion by 2050. International law doesn’t give the “climate change refugees” any legal definition. Therefore, it is essential to address the challenges faced by climate change refugees. This article will address the impacts of climate change on people’s displacement, highlighting the difficulties faced by these refugees and emphasizing the challenges they encounter.

CLIMATE CHANGE DISPLACEMENT

The IEP predicts that, due to climate change events, approximately 1.5 billion people will be displaced by 2050, and this number is expected to increase to 2 billion by the end of the century. The temperature is rising due to climate change by approximately 3-5°C. The change in average temperature makes some areas unbearable to live in. Sea level rises due to the impacts of climate change, increasing by about 5–7 cm per year. Coastal areas are more prone to flooding when tsunamis or high tides enter the ocean. This flooding will damage the infrastructure, disrupt the area’s economy, and impair essential services.

As a result of flooding, arable land is lost, and land degradation also occurs, making the affected area uninhabitable for the communities. That is why most people prefer to move to urban areas or other countries to pursue better opportunities. Rising global temperatures impact the functioning of ecosystems and have significant economic implications worldwide. Displacements due to climate change have led to constrained resources, social conflicts, and increased competition for food, land, and employment opportunities.

There were many other consequences of climate change, including displacement, which can be measured in the context of increased criminal activities, economic instability, poverty, cultural heritage losses, suicidal cases, and food and water insecurity.

Several factors contribute to displacement, including micro-level, macro-level, and meso-level factors. Meso-level factors are those that hinder or facilitate displacement or migration due to the impacts of climate change.

ALSO READ: How Climate Change Is Creating a New Class of Refugees?

Case Studies of Climate Change Displacement

The impacts of climate change have forced numerous people to relocate over the past few decades. Here we discussed some examples:

Sub-Saharan Africa

The climate of sub-Saharan Africa is being affected by desertification and prolonged droughts. Climate change impacts exacerbate the condition in sub-Saharan Africa. Both of these factors significantly impact the agricultural sector, reducing its productivity and contributing to food insecurity, which forces people to migrate from rural areas to urban areas where they can find suitable employment.

Changes in rainfall patterns also affect drinking water availability. Migration to urban centers puts pressure on already crowded cities, as well as on the availability of services and other employment-related challenges.

 Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. This city faces several environmental issues, including rising sea levels, land subsidence, and frequent flooding in the region. Another problem this city is facing is a continued increase in population. Jakarta is sinking due to rising sea levels.

Migration from rural areas to urban Jakarta increases the need to enhance infrastructure. The increasing extraction of groundwater and the development of infrastructure have exacerbated the problem of land subsidence in Jakarta. Coastal regions are more susceptible to seawater intrusion and flooding. Therefore, many people migrated to areas of higher ground.

 Kiribati

Kiribati is a nation located in the Pacific Islands. The sea displaces people in Kiribati due to the country’s vulnerability to seawater intrusion and coastal erosion. Seawater intrusion reduces agricultural productivity and disrupts the quality of drinking water. The Kiribati government acknowledged the issue and took steps to ensure a safe future, such as purchasing land in Fiji.

 Bangladesh

Bangladesh is an Asian country that faces several issues due to its geography, including floods, cyclones, and rising sea levels. Large numbers of people reside in low-lying coastal regions that are vulnerable to sea level rise and cyclones. Climate change’s impacts are forcing many people to relocate from coastal regions to safer areas. These floods destroy infrastructure and homes, forcing the local people to relocate to safer areas. In some areas, changes in precipitation also affect agricultural activities.

To get better opportunities, people migrated from rural to urban areas. Forced displacements, which aim to protect people from the impacts of climate change, also exacerbate the challenges faced by governments due to high population densities and limited resources. Besides several displacements, many people remain at risk due to storms, flooding, and hurricanes.

CONSEQUENCES OF DISPLACED REFUGEES

Refugees who have been displaced from their regions and communities due to the occurrence of extreme weather events because of climate change have suffered severe consequences. These consequences impact both the hosted community and the community to which the individual belongs. Refugees experience various losses, such as the loss of their homes, economic hardships, and disconnection from their cultural roots.

Migration can lead to psychological issues for individuals, as leaving their community for an uncertain duration can result in prolonged suffering. After displacement, due to a lack of proper mental health, individuals may suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).

When refugees relocate to a host region or country, they often receive inadequate medical care. Besides financial issues, criminal activities and people’s use of drugs also rise. It has become increasingly challenging for the host region or country to provide all necessary services and ensure adequate living conditions for refugees.

Industrialized countries often assume the responsibility of taking in refugees and providing them with essential living conditions, despite being the major contributors to greenhouse gases and ultimately driving the impacts of climate change. Developing nations already face economic insecurities and struggle to cope with the necessities of refugees.

To address the problems associated with forced displacement caused by severe weather events, a comprehensive and integrated approach is necessary, providing solutions that tackle current issues and offer long-term benefits. Different strategies, such as granting legal status to refugees, providing social support, and fostering international cooperation, are crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change, building resilience, and preserving the dignity of affected communities.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK TO ADDRESS DISPLACEMENT

• The international legal framework should consider the displacement of millions of people because of periodic catastrophic events and ensure their rights in host places. Please provide them with all facilities for their re-establishment. Currently, there is no comprehensive approach to the international legal framework for addressing the issues of forced displacement.
• However, certain legal mechanisms are present to address immigration issues at both the national and international levels. UNFCCC has already determined the impacts of climate change on people’s displacement. The Paris Agreement (2015) also recognizes the importance of providing solutions to the millions of people displaced by climate change.
• The United Nations has established certain principles, but they should be legally binding. The Nansen Initiative, conducted by the state, aims to protect displaced people due to natural disasters and the impacts of climate change. This initiative established a protection agenda specifically for immigrants affected by displacement.
• Some developed countries have initiated their efforts to incorporate climate change-related displacement into their legal frameworks. For example, New Zealand has developed a special visa class for people who are forced to relocate due to extreme episodic events caused by climate change.
• There should be a distinct category in the legal framework for climate change-driven displaced people, which distinguishes them from other types of migration. Specific criteria should be established to identify individuals who have migrated or been displaced due to climate change-induced disasters. To protect climate change refugees, a convention could be developed to address their needs. National or international legal frameworks should ensure that displacement or migration induced entirely by climate change respects human rights, including access to essential services such as health, education, food, and clean water.

FAQ’s

How is climate change displacing millions of people worldwide?

Climate change causes extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and rising sea levels that destroy homes, farmland, and infrastructure. As a result, people are forced to leave their communities in search of safety, food, and shelter.

What is a climate refugee and are they legally recognized?

A climate refugee is someone who is displaced from their home due to the effects of climate change. However, under current international law, there is no formal legal recognition or protection for such individuals, making their situation even more vulnerable.

Which countries are most affected by climate-induced displacement?

Low-lying nations like Bangladesh, Kiribati, and coastal cities like Jakarta face frequent climate disasters. Sub-Saharan African regions also see massive migration due to droughts and desertification, affecting food and water security.

What are the long-term consequences of displacement caused by climate change?

Displaced people face poverty, trauma, lack of access to healthcare and education, and loss of cultural identity. Host communities also struggle with overcrowding, resource shortages, and rising social tensions.

What legal steps are being taken to protect climate-displaced people?

Efforts like the Paris Agreement and the Nansen Initiative aim to recognize climate displacement. Some countries, like New Zealand, have created special visa pathways, but a comprehensive global legal framework is still lacking.

CONCLUSION

The average global temperature has risen steadily since the Industrial Revolution began. Episodes of extreme weather events have increased in frequency and duration. Migration also has a connection to global warming. Agricultural practices are mostly affected by the rise in temperature. People migrate to areas where steadily rising temperatures have the least impact on their productivity.

Evidence of climate-induced displacement is less prevalent in small areas or regions. Developed countries’ governments should provide funding to less resilient communities to mitigate their impacts and maintain the dignity of affected individuals. International agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the Nansen Initiative, are not enough to provide recognition for this issue; more efforts and comprehensive legal frameworks are required to support them.

References

Quinones, A. (2022). An Evaluation of the Contemporary Relationship between Climate Change and Food Insecurity (Master’s thesis, The William Paterson University of New Jersey).

Olagunju, T. E., Adewoye, S. O., Adewoye, A. O., & Opasola, O. A. (2021, February). Climate change impacts on the environment: human displacement and social conflicts in Nigeria. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 655, No. 1, p. 012072). IOP Publishing.

Ahmad, N. (2023). This work discusses disaster displacement and international refugee law, focusing on how to locate legal protections for individuals affected by climate change migration. In International Handbook of Disaster Research (pp. 1-17). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

Climate change, migration, and displacement: The need for a risk-informed and coherent approach, Sarah Opitz Stapleton, Rebecca Nadin, Charlene Watson, and Jan Kellett

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