Climate change and environmental degradation exacerbate the phenomenon of climate refugees

ArabiaWeather - The effects of climate change are worsening day after day, as a result of the continuous escalation of human activity in the fields of industry, transportation, and energy production. The increasing carbon emissions emanating from these sectors contribute to the exacerbation of global warming, leading to an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. This is demonstrated by abnormally heavy rainfall, worsening long-term drought, increasing desertification, environmental degradation, and sea level rise.

A warming world exacerbates the phenomenon of climate refugees

Global warming has made finite natural resources, such as drinking water, increasingly scarce in large parts of the world. The agricultural and livestock sectors are forced to face the challenges of surviving in extremely hot and dry climatic conditions or extremely cold and humid environments.

Natural disasters, droughts and other climatic phenomena cause an increasing number of people who are forced to leave their homes, fleeing to safer areas within the borders of their countries of origin or even migrating across international borders, which is known as “climate asylum” or “climate migration.”

What do we mean by “climate refugees”?

The term “climate refugees” first appeared in 1985, when UNEP expert Issam El-Hanawy defined environmental refugees as individuals who have had to leave their place of origin, either temporarily or permanently, as a result of natural environmental disturbance or that resulting from climate change activities. Humans, which threatens their existence or seriously affects their livelihood.

However, the United Nations is still unaware of the existence of a category known as “climate refugees.” Currently, refugees are the result of various circumstances unconnected with planetary issues, but it is quite clear that if the effects of climate change exceed their limits in some areas of the world, they will push many individuals towards migration. This increases in particular as problems related to agriculture worsen, causing conditions to worsen and people's hunger problem to worsen.

Impacts of climate change on food security

Agriculture is under great threat from the effects of climate change, including increased droughts, declining agricultural land, and severe water shortages. This effect leads to lower crop yields and lower quality, which negatively affects food production in general. The expected result is higher food prices, making it unaffordable to many poor or displaced communities. Food insecurity can be a direct result of climate-related disasters or conflicts, and can also be a catalyst for social tensions and violence, increasing the risk of new population shifts.

Climate change-related disasters cause an average of 21.5 million displacements annually

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, climate change-related disasters in the past decade have caused an average of 21.5 million new displacements annually, more than double the number of displacements resulting from conflict and violence.

In addition to common natural disasters that are direct causes of forced displacement, climate change exacerbates other drivers of displacement, such as increased poverty, food insecurity, water shortages, and complex access to other natural resources that local communities depend on for survival.

Sea level rise poses a threat to coastal residents

Sea level rise poses another threat, with figures over the past 30 years showing the number of people living in coastal areas at risk from rising sea levels has risen from 160 million to 260 million. More than 90% of these people come from poor developing countries and small island states.

According to a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an international think tank in Australia, the ecosystem threat record indicates that at least 1.2 billion people could be displaced by these threats by 2050.

“The negative impacts of climate change and environmental degradation” are a major factor in displacement

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018, clearly indicates that “adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation” are one of the factors leading to large-scale movements of people. This includes natural disasters, desertification, land degradation, drought, and rising sea levels. The agreement encourages the protection of climate refugees in their countries of arrival, ensuring that their basic needs are met if adaptation and return are not possible in their countries of origin.

In March 2018, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a final document that discussed the issue of cross-border movement of people as a result of climate crises from the perspective of human rights protection.

The document noted that there are many people who do not meet the definition of “refugees” among those forced to migrate long distances and across borders due to climate impacts, and explained that the human rights legal system does not provide adequate protection for these individuals. She also pointed out the need to implement the "principle of non-refoulement", which prevents the deportation of people who have crossed borders or their return to their countries of origin against their will. Governments were urged to integrate respect for human rights into the planning and implementation of climate change adaptation measures, and to consider resettlement as a means of adapting to these challenges.

Italian researcher Francesco Grillo adds to Al Jazeera Net that the impact of climate change is not limited to Europe only, but extends to all parts of the world. Grillo believes that we need to “be prepared, and not just wait to see the problem appear in front of us. So far, we have not been able to take any action on this problem. In Derna, the Libyan city that was flooded, resulting in the death of more than 20,000 people, it is likely At least 80,000 people are displaced, which means that they are all candidates to reach Europe, but we were not even able to send aid after the disaster. We must be responsible towards ourselves. It is not only a moral responsibility, it is our responsibility to avoid such disasters. "

Grillo stresses the importance of accurately predicting natural disasters using technology, considering that this can prevent similar disasters from occurring in the future.

Source: aljazeera