The need to mitigate the effects of climate change has rightly held a place on the international agenda, but only up until now the reality of human suffering as a result of climate change is being given the attention it deserves. There are a growing number of people who are in legal limbo, and they are called climate refugees.
Climate refugees are people who are forced to leave their land they have long called home due to the negative effects of climate change such as sea-level rise, desertification, and prolonged droughts. Researched has shown that the increase and intensity of extreme weather events such as flooding and storms are also driving people from their homes more than ever before. According to experts in the field, there could be as many as 200 million people displaced worldwide by 2050. The people who suffer the most are the ones in developing countries who have contributed little or nothing to the problem of climate change.
Meanwhile, there is a complete absence of any formal recognition needed to address the needs of these people. They do not actually have a defined status as a “refugee” laid out in the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, as the definition does not include reasons of “environmental persecution”. Because of this, they do not get the legal and international protection they need to adapt.
So what happens when a person who has lived on their small island in the South Pacific, as well as past generations of their family for hundreds of years, has no place to go when their island becomes submerged under the waves? What happens when the poor farmer in rural Kenya has no choice but to abandon his land and seek refuge in the slums of Nairobi because of prolonged drought never experienced before? It is now up to the world to bring the issue of climate refugees to the forefront so that these people can receive the rights and assistance they deserve.
I got involved in this emerging topic during my time in grad school at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia last year. The issue of climate refugees is eminent there due to the nearby South Pacific Islands constantly asking nearby developed nations such as New Zealand and Australia itself for assistance, resulting in little or none at all.
Because the issue has just now begun to receive public attention, I decided to create a social change blog which raises awareness about climate refugees with the ultimate goal of formal and legal recognition. Having been a web developer for 7 years, I have a passion for creating websites. I was inspired to create my social change blog Towards Recognition which is a volunteer project of mine with somewhat larger intentions. I view the blogosphere as a great way to bring emerging social issues to the attention of the global public.
So besides creating a blog or website that raises awareness about climate refugees, what else can we do to assist this vulnerable population? Here are a few ideas:
• Get involved with Pacific Islanders directly, for example the Carteret islander's Facebook support page
• Stop by AVAAZ's climate page and get involved
• Talk to elected political figures in your region about the need to recognize the rights of climate refugees
• Educate yourself and others on the humanitarian side of climate change
And of course, combat the effects of climate change by doing your own part to protect the environment. The world simply can’t plan to adapt to the effects of climate change without slowing or even reversing the problem first!
Dan DaSilva
Towards Recognition
http://www.towardsrecognition.org
