In this paper, climate-induced migration is examined as a complex and far-reaching consequence of climate change, with forced displacement affecting millions worldwide.
The author notices that although the link between climate change and migration was recognized as early as the first IPCC report in 1990, displacement was only formally included in climate policy frameworks decades later.
A discussion is then presented on the scale and complexity of climate-related displacement, while paying particular attention to small island states and the climate–conflict–displacement nexus.
It reviews the international legal framework for political refugees and highlights the legal gaps that leave climate migrants without adequate protection, alongside recent developments, such as the Global Compact on Migration and the Task Force on Climate Displacement.
The author argues that while existing human rights law offers some protection, it is insufficient to meet the needs of climate migrants. Urgent international action is called for, to establish a dedicated legal regime, emphasizing that major greenhouse gas emitters have a responsibility to support displaced populations, especially those from small island states facing the loss of their homelands.
Learn more about this paper here: https://doi.org/10.4337/jhre.2020.01.04
Reference
Atapattu, S. (2020). Climate change and displacement: protecting ‘climate refugees’ within a framework of justice and human rights. Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, 11(1), 86-113