"climate refugees" – millions of people might become one this century

Defined as ‘people who have to leave their habitats, immediately or in the near future, because of sudden or gradual alterations in their natural environment related to at least one of three impacts of climate change: sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and drought and water scarcity’, read on to find out more about 'climate refugees' and the Climate Refugee Policy Forum.

Global climate change might force millions of people (some studies predict hundreds of millions) mainly in Africa and Asia, to leave their places over this century and to become "climate refugees". Political responses to this emerging problem do not yet exist, and the academic discourse on the issue has barely started. Prof. Frank Biermann, Head of the Department of Environmental Policy Analysis, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Ingrid Boas discussed the issue in an article entitled ‘Protecting climate refugees: the case for a global protocol’, published in Environment.

The Global Governance Project - a joint programme of 12 leading European research institutions - has set up a new initiative, the Climate Refugee Policy Forum. This forum is designed as a web-based clearinghouse, open for everyone, for up-to-date information on climate refugees and climate-related migration, including academic studies, policy papers, conference announcements, and links to key organizations active in the field.

The web page of the Climate Refugee Policy Forum is http://www.glogov.org/?pageid=80, where a significant amount of information and a comprehensive bibliography is downloadable from this website.

They welcome additional papers, literature references, conference announcements or other interesting material on climate refugees; you just need to contact the coordinator of the Climate Refugee Programme, Ingrid Boas, at [email protected].

Reference

Frank Biermann and Ingrid Boas (2009) Protecting climate refugees: the case for a global protocol. Environment 50 (6):8-16.