Climate Refugees: Far From Home

 A home may mean different things to different people, but one thing that could be agreed unanimously is, it is synonymous with comfort and love. What would we do if it is threatened? Well, for some it’s no longer a nightmare they wouldn't want to live, rather a cruel reality. And it's just a matter of time before this nightmare unfolds in the lives of many others. Given a choice humans would dream about getting a better home but would never want to be forced to leave their homes no matter how small they are. The one looking for better homes may be driven by the pull factors and can be categorized as migrants. But the one who is forced to migrate due to unforeseen circumstances unfolding due to environment-related factors must be categorized as a refugee. 

There are many climate refugees forced to leave their homes behind because of the irreversible damage we have caused to nature. It's a frail exercise to fret over what has been done. Instead, we must look forward to what can be done. Faced with such a herculean threat ahead of us it is appalling that the international community hasn't arrived at a consensus to accommodate such refugees in the international definition.  

The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as: “Someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country” [1]

The concept of refugee, which emphasizes people who left that country with the occurrence of human-induced persecution, has recently been used for people who have to leave their homeland due to the increase of the negative environmental factors. Unfortunately, despite the use of the word refugee, this way is not enough because the meaning of the word hasn't been redefined with the evolving situation. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) proposes the following definition: “Environmental migrants are persons or groups of persons who, for compelling reasons of sudden or progressive changes in the environment that adversely affect 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” [2]

 In our article, we used the definition of 'climate refugees' rather than 'climate immigrants' because, contrary to the UN resolution, we do not think that this is an arbitrary migration. 

Today, the factors leading to a climate refugee can be counted as climate drivers. These are of two types – climate processes and climate events. 
Climate processes are slow onset changes such as sea-level rise, salinization of agricultural land, desertification, growing water scarcity, and food insecurity.

Climate events, on the other hand, are sudden and dramatic hazards such as monsoon floods, glacial lake outburst floods, storms, hurricanes, and typhoons. Climate change might provide both “push” and “pull” for some population displacement.[3]   

Since 1979, the average temperature on land has risen almost twice the average temperature increase in oceans. By 2099, the world expected to be between 1.8ºC and 4ºC warmer than it is now. While an average decrease of 5 degrees Celsius over thousands of years corresponds to the ice age, what will be the result if the average temperature increases by a few degrees? [4] 

It estimated that the proportion of soils suffering from extreme drought is going to increase from 1 percent to 30 percent by the end of the 21st century. [5]
For example, some women in the Sahel already have to walk 25 kilometers a day to bring water. If their journey is prolonged, they will have to move permanently.
 
After taking into account coastal land rise and subsidence, the global average sea level is going to be projected to rise between 8 cm and 13 cm in 2030, between 17 cm and 29 cm in 2050, and between 35 cm and 82 cm in 2100. By this prediction, it would mean that some cities may be inundated. It stated that 25 million people were displaced in 1995 due to environmental factors, and by 2010 this number will reach 50 million. Today, there are important differences in these numbers. Norman Myers of Oxford University predicts that by 2050, 200 million people will be climate refugees. [5]

 With the increase of nationalist movements and the understanding that sees refugees as a burden on the shoulders, the question of 'how so many climate refugees can find a new home' comes to mind. Although the United Nations emphasizes that people who have to migrate from adverse climate changes cannot be forced back to their country, but there is no legal protection for people in this situation. At this point, especially developed countries have an international responsibility. It is not acceptable for developed countries, which cause the world's highest global greenhouse gas emissions, to refrain from introducing an adequate and necessary legal framework to protect climate refugees. 
Climate refugees who are forced to leave their places immediately are at great risk of sexual abuse, human trafficking, and gender-based violence. To reduce these possible consequences, more research on the subject that would enable quantification of risk and data collection should be taken up, policies regarding climate refugees should be planned by international authorities factoring in the local context. Finally, it is important to encourage citizens of not only endangered countries but also countries that will be vulnerable in the future, to use resources efficiently. One of the greatest strengths of humans is collaboration and it is time we come together to harness this strength to face this challenge and overcome it.  

 

 

Sources :
1. Resolution 429 of the United Nations General Assembly, 1951,https://www.ipcc.ch/apps/njlite/srex/njlite_download.php?id=5866, accessed 10 October 2020.
2. IOM, “Discussion note: Migration and the Environment, Ninety-fourth session, MC/INF/288, 2007, p. 1-2.
3. According to Robert McLeman of the University of Ottawa.
4. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established by WMO and UNEP Fourth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2007”, 02 February 2007, Paris.
5. Burke, E. et al., “Modelling the recent evolution of global drought and projections for the twenty-first century with the Hadley Centre climate model”, Journal of Hydrometeorology, Vol. 7, October 2006. 
6. Photo by RedCharlie on Unsplash

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About the author
Rumeysa
Rumeysa

Rumeysa macht derzeit ihren BA in Soziologie an der Abant Izzet Baysal University. Für ihr Studium kam sie nach Berlin, um für RawafedZusammenfluss Geschichten über starke Frauen zu sammeln. Du bist oder kennst eine Frau, die sie portraitieren sollte? Erzähl ihr davon: r.yalazan@offensiv91.de

Rumeysa is currently doing her BA in Sociology at Abant Izzet Baysal University. For her studies she came to Berlin to support RawafedZusammenfluss by collecting stories of powerful women. You are or know a powerful woman that should be portrayed? Tell her via r.yalazan@offensiv91.de

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