BY CATHERINE STALLSMITH
As the amount of extreme weather events has increased over the years, more and more people have been displaced due to climate disasters. Some are able to return home after recovery efforts, but often, at great personal cost. As the globe warms and more natural disasters occur, more people will likely lose their homes and become displaced. Coastlines and islands around the world will be underwater, and climate migrants will need permanent relocation. The United Nations (UN) 1951 Convention for Refugees and 1967 Protocol defined a refugee as someone who "owing to 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 their nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail themself of the protection of that country." This current definition does not, however, account for people who are fleeing natural disasters.
Perceptions of climate change vary, and it can be controversial to some who don’t agree on its causes or who is to blame. Similarly, opinions on migration vary depending on who is migrating, why they are migrating, and where they are going. Climate refugees pose an interesting problem as their homes are forever lost, with no hope of return. If someone cannot return to their home because it is now underwater, where do they go? Will host countries begin to open their borders for climate refugees but not political ones? Will climate refugees be the “perfect” refugee because they had no control over their circumstances? Or will they be largely ignored as they do not fall under the UN’s definition? Will we literally run out of space for everyone on the planet? Will some people have to live on boats or engineered floating cities?
Regardless of the answers to these pressing questions, the world is simply not ready to handle a mass influx of climate migration. Climate change primarily affects the Global South and developing countries, and as a result developed countries will need to rethink their refugee ceilings and how they can expand their bureaucratic capabilities to accommodate an influx of refugees.
The international community should be prioritizing ways to save what is left of our planet and atmosphere in order to try to prevent more destruction while the effects of climate change are still reversible. The Conference of Parties (COP) should dedicate time to discussing climate migration, and what developed, resource-rich countries are willing to do to help. The United Nations should also hold a summit to discuss updating the definition of a refugee to include those who have fled climate disasters.
Migration is a contested subject, one that the UN spends a lot of time negotiating on. The Global Compact on Migration is a flexible tool that allows countries to pursue a collective purpose towards safe, orderly, and regular migration, agreeing on what it will look like in the future and what the current, pressing challenges are. At the moment, it is not legally binding due to member states being unable to form an agreement. The understanding reached by the Global Compact on Migration is a good place to start, but is ultimately not adequate to protect climate migrants, as their migration will not be regular or orderly. Receiving countries and countries of departure have different goals, and receiving countries are not willing to commit too many of their resources to this cause. Despite this, climate migration is inevitable. With the right resources, and the right mindset, it can be a safe and humane process.
Countries want to be in control of their futures when it comes to climate change. The stark reality, though, is that developed countries contribute far more to the climate crisis than developing countries. In return, they must expect to open their doors to refugees when these consequences have irreversible effects.