CLIMATE MIGRATION: THE PROBLEM
According to the latest IPCC report, greenhouse gas emissions are still on the rise despite countless warnings from the scientific community. The current plan to address climate change is not nearly ambitious enough to limit warming to 1.5°C - the necessary threashold to avoid catastrophic impacts. If we don't take more mitigation action now, up to a 3°C temperature increase has been projected.
Number of Sea Level Rise Migrants By 2100
Why look at climate migration?
Climate change is impacting our world in many tangible ways. From extreme weather events to rising sea levels and global warming, the impacts of the climate crisis are felt around the world in different forms. Unknown to some, it has also contributed significantly to the global refugee crisis. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in 2020, more than 80 million people were displaced, internally and internationally. Estimations point to climate migrants making up nearly half of this total. The climate crisis is projected to have disproportionately negative impacts on vulnerable populations in years to come, so it’s vital that there is space for climate migrants amongst discussions of climate mitigation, adaptation, and reparation.
What is climate change?
Climate change is a global or regional change in climate patterns, and as of the late 19th and early 20th centuries is mostly attributed to largely increased atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil fuel usage. The climate crisis is causing extreme weather events such as more intense hurricanes, severe monsoon season, flooding, droughts, and wildfires. There are also various slow-onset effects, such as global warming and sea level rise. These natural disasters impact millions of people every year, and their increased frequency and intensity can be catastrophic. Climate change is projected to most severely affect vulnerable communities and developing countries. These are areas that have not significantly contributed to the crisis and are not equipped to deal with its impacts.
What is climate migration?
For our intents and purposes, we are using the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) definition of a climate migrant as a subcategory of an environmental migrant. According to the IOM, these definitions are as follows:
Environmental migrant: “persons or groups of persons who, predominantly for reasons of sudden or progressive change in the environment that adversely affects their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad.”
Climate migrant: “a person or groups of persons who, predominantly for reasons of sudden or progressive change in the environment due to climate change, are obliged to leave their habitual place of residence, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, within a State or across an international border.”