News: Preparation for Climate Displacement Too Slow, Experts Say

(AlertNet) December 5, 2011 – Climate impacts such as worsening droughts, flooding, storm surges and sea level rise could displace tens of mill ions of people by mid-century, scientists predict. But national and international rules governing resettlement of forced environmental migrants, and how they will be treated under the law, remain at a worryingly early […]

Statement of the Global Migration Group on the Impact of Climate Migration

The Global Migration Group (GMG) is an inter-agency group bringing together 16 agencies (14 United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and the International Organization for Migration) to promote the application of relevant international instruments an Marketing Online With Alex Mandossian d norms relating to migration, and to encourage the adoption of more coherent, comprehensive and […]

News: "Last Straw" Pushes Millions from Their Homes

(Inter Press Service) August 11, 2011 – With political will to dramatically cut the world’s greenhouse gas emissions failing to materialise, a multi-pronged approach is needed to protect the millions of people who are being displaced as a result of environmental factors driven largely by climate change, experts say. “Climate change is looming as a […]

New Paper: Climate Change and the Risk of Statelessness: The Situation of Low-lying Island States

Susin Park, Head, UNHCR Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, wrote a paper entitled “Climate Change and the Risk of Statelessness:The Situation of Low-lying Island States.” The paper begins by examining the elements of statehood under public international law. While there is a strong presumption of continuity for established states, the possibility of a total loss […]

News: UN Embarrassed by Forecast on Climate Refugees

(Spiegel) April 18, 2011 – It was a dramatic prediction that was widely picked up by the world’s media. In 2005, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations University declared that 50 million people could become environmental refugees by 2010, fleeing the effects of climate change. But now the UN is distancing […]

Event Summary: UNHCR's Deliberations on Climate Change and Displacement

UNHCR organized an expert roundtable on climate change and displacement, which was held in Bellagio, Italy, from 22 to 25 February 2011, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation. Main messages to come out of the event included: Displacement is likely to be a significant consequence of global climate change processes of both a rapid […]