The climate crisis is forcing many to leave their homes—while still others are trapped in place—a reality that places people at risk and will require substantive action by states and other stakeholders, as highlighted by the new short film Forced to Move: A Climate Story from Climate Refugees and The Loss and Damage Collaboration.
Both sudden disasters like hurricanes and flash floods, and slow onset events like drought and desertification are pushing households and sometimes entire communities to the brink. Those who are able to move often do so as a last resort, the tragic result of a series of losses caused by climate change impacts.
“The poorest people in the world who have contributed the least to the problem are forced to flee the oppressive impacts of climate change”, said Amali Tower, Climate Refugees Founder and Executive Director. “And when mounting effects take them across borders, they are often forced into treacherous and deadly journeys given the lack of migration pathways, while those who make it are often met by walls, guards and dehumanizing treatment.”
Immediate and substantive action by states and other key stakeholders is needed to better understand climate displacement and provide meaningful protection for those who are displaced, while also helping those who stay do so with dignity and agency.
Governments—as well as relevant regional and international organizations—must take action at all levels, and should commit to continued cooperation on cross-border climate displacement, including an optional protocol to the 1951 Refugee Convention, as recommended by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the context of climate change.
Parties at COP28 must recognize that those displaced by climate change tend to be from countries that have contributed little if at all to the climate crisis. Historic emitters have a particular responsibility to provide support to people displaced by climate change by fulfilling their commitments to fund the mounting losses and damages as a result of climate change, including ensuring the newly operationalized Loss and Damage Fund reflects the urgency and scale of need today, not at some distant point in the future.
In the absence of immediate action, the climate crisis will continue to force people to leave their homes, exposing them to dangerous journeys, rights violations, and worse.
As COP28 continues in Dubai, negotiators must not forget that communities around the world are already experiencing the negative impacts of climate change, and that bold steps must be taken in order to protect those who see no other option than to flee their homes.
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