The Solution
The solution to climate migration is not cut and dry. Although climate migration has steadily gained more international recognition as a pertinent consequence of climate change, little has been done to address it. Below we offer some solutions and mitigation measures to help raise awareness for this issue and best support climate migrants.
Humanitarian Crisis
The issue of climate migration is not simply a refugee problem. It is a humanitarian crisis. Those displaced by climate change are often left without shelter and access to clean water. They face unsafe conditions and have limited access to resources that can support and protect them. Several of the organizations listed below that you can support address the humanitarian impacts of climate migration.
Legal Protections
Following a plan similar to what the Pacific Islanders have suggested in the past, efforts should be made to mitigate the effects of climate change and provide for global cooperation among nations to prevent climate catastrophes. Efforts should also be made to provide legal pathways for migration if mitigation and adaptation projects fail and climate migrants will be afforded a plethora of rights and liberties similar to those given to refugees. But, this overall policy will favor mitigation/adaptation efforts and pathways for legal migration because seen in the case of Pacific Islanders, not all climate migrants are 100% purely willing to flee their home country. Therefore, this policy is for not only states like New Zealand and the US that will accept climate migrants but for the climate migrants themselves, whose opinions and thoughts on the potential policy should be of utmost importance.
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Some argue that those facing climate change should be put under the umbrella of refugees. We believe they should not. First, those facing the direct impacts of climate change do not want this status. As evident in the case of the Pacific Islanders and New Zealand, not all people willingly want to leave their home country to go to an unknown country where they do not feel comfortable. Whether it be migrants, IDPs, or refugees, no one willingly/joyfully leaves their home country where they know the customs and language and engage in the culture. If we want to create a policy that truly helps those impacted, we need to listen to their voices instead of shoving policy at them. Additionally, the current definition of refugee only deals with interstate movement. Evidence shows that the majority of climate migration is intrastate. Therefore if we were to adopt a policy that transfers climate migrants into the refugee category, the definition of refugee would require a UN-backed issuance. Unfortunately, this does not seem possible nor is it something that those affected by climate change want.
Therefore, efforts should be made to listen to those affected by climate change. Some of those affected have called for increased funding/effort put into mitigation and adaptation policy/products. If these fail, legal pathways should be created that give protections similar to those of refugees (but not place them under the category).
Cultural Survival
Although cultural protections have been deemed a human right and some strides have been made by host countries to protect cultural rights of climate migrants, it is critical that they are able to safeguard their cultural practices within new territory. Cultural protections can manifest themselves in many ways. The most critical means of cultural protection for climate migrants include:
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Documentation of indigenous histories
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Protection of indigenous languages through documentation and education
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Right to engage in cultural practices
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Environmental protections
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Get Involved
While the main action individuals can take to combat the climate crisis and support climate migrants is pressuring government officials and corporations to invest in clean energy and create policies that welcome climate migrants while allowing them to preserve sovereignty, there are a few other ways individuals can make an impact. For instance, there are several advocacy groups and NGOs working on various parts within the realm of climate migration. Many of these organizations take donations and recruit and train volunteers, giving individuals the chance to take action.
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The Climate and Migration Coalition is a nonprofit coalition of organizations that work on environmental, refugee, and human rights issues. Its goals are to educate the public on issues related to climate migration, advocate for international policy protecting the rights of climate migrants, and uplift the voices of climate migrants. The best ways to support them are by reading and sharing their resources, and by making donations.
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The Environmental Justice Foundation’s Protecting Climate Refugees campaign focuses on granting climate refugees international protections. This campaign focuses on raising awareness about climate refugees and their rights in the public and advocating for guaranteed rights to international leaders. You can sign the Environmental Justice Foundation’s petition to recognize climate refugees internationally here. The foundation also accepts donations.
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Refugees International is an organization that investigates issues related to displacement, finds policy solutions, and engages in advocacy work. The organization does advocacy work, including writing letters and reports, in support of climate migrants in its Climate Displacement Program. You can support Refugees International by donating or attending events that they host, which are often held virtually.
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Climate Refugees is a human rights organization that protects the civil rights of people displaced by climate change. The organization does advocacy work and writes journal and research articles to highlight the severity of the crisis and the experiences of climate migrants. Though they do not currently have volunteer opportunities, you can support their work by donating.
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The International Organization for Migration (IOM), whose research has been referenced throughout this website, is an NGO part of the UN concerned with global migration. The IOM has five main priorities: migration management, crisis response, international cooperation and partnerships, data and research, and a global compact for migration. They suggest opportunities to get involved with partner organizations that can be found here, and accept donations.
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The UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) is a UN agency committed to supporting and protecting refugees and displaced people through the provision of emergency services. Recipients of UNHCR support include those displaced by natural disasters and the effects of climate change. Their work on climate change and migration falls into three categories: shaping law and policy to provide better protections for climate migrants, operations— building resilience and reducing environmental degradation, and reducing the UNHCR’s carbon emissions. The UNHCR takes donations, and you can get involved in one of their World Refugee Day campaigns.
Doctors Without Borders is an NGO that is not exclusively a climate migration organization, but provides many services to displaced people and responds to natural disasters, ultimately offering a lot of support to climate migrants. Members of the organization provide medical services to displaced people and those that have been affected by natural disasters, and ensure their access to clean water and safe housing. To support Doctors Without Borders, you can make a donation or host a fundraiser. If you are a college student, you can join or start a Friends of MSF chapter, which are student groups that fundraise for Doctors Without Borders and are involved in advocacy and outreach. And if you are in New York City, you can volunteer in the Doctors Without Borders New York office.