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https://theconversation.com/environmental-disasters-and-climate-change-force-people-to-cross-borders-but-theyre-not-recognised-as-refugees-they-should-be-212979>
"As our planet warms, we’re experiencing more frequent and severe weather
events, rising sea levels, prolonged droughts and altered ecosystems. These
environmental shifts directly affect people’s livelihoods by destroying crops
and depleting water sources. They make once-inhabitable areas uninhabitable.
In response to these challenges, many individuals and communities have no
choice but to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere. The vast majority
will remain within their country borders – it’s predicted that by 2050 up to 86
million Africans will migrate within their own countries due to weather shocks.
But some will cross borders, triggering the need for international protection.
The challenge, however, is that people crossing borders due to weather don’t
qualify as refugees under key laws and conventions. This displacement could be
due to sudden-onset events, such as volcanic eruptions or flooding, which may
pose an immediate threat to life. Or it could be due to slow-onset events, such
as desertification or rising sea levels, which may eventually make life
untenable.
It’s hard to say exactly how many people this affects because it’s a complex
topic. However, we do know that cross-border migration affects tens of
thousands of people every year. For instance drought conditions in 2022,
exacerbated by political insecurity and instability, forced at least 180,000
refugees from Somalia and South Sudan into parts of Kenya and Ethiopia.
It’s predicted that the number of people displaced due to weather shifts or
disasters will reach as many as 1.2 million people by 2050. This figure will
depend on how changes in the climate unfold.
Without refugee status, those forced to move across borders due to weather
events may not receive valuable support. Depending on the individual country,
support can include the right to live and work, access to health or education
services and the right to move freely.
I study the legal protection of asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and
internally displaced people in Africa. I recommend that international laws and
conventions be amended to explicitly include people forced by weather shocks to
move across borders. They need full refugee protection."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
