My interest during my time at COP21 evolved around the issues of food/water security, natural disasters along with migration that all are expected to intensify with the predicted trends of global warming. Often times, climate change with extreme disasters go hand in hand with conflict. Whether its desertification in sub-Africa to an extended monsoon season in Vietnam, climate change is causing the security of food and water to be threatened which is causing the forced displacement of many people. During these events, the impact on physiology can often increase fear and conflict during migration of climate refugees. Unfortunately, it is also often the case that some would have preferred not to survive form such horrible natural disasters, including floods and droughts, because they become too vulnerable afterwards.
As of now, both Norway and Switzerland lead the way for aiding displaced people from climate disasters. Now is the time for other countries to follow their lead because those displaced have often not taken part in the actions that have caused them to become displaced (rise of sea levels, tsunamis, deforestation).
The locations were displacement is most common are; sub-Sahara Africa/Sahel region, poor coastal regions, South East and South Asia, and Islands. In these regions, the environment has become a major factor for migration, just like politics or economics.
To aid in supporting climate refugees, the Nansen Initiative is one of the agendas with a protection objective focused on people displaced across boarders in the context of disaster and the effects of climate change. Along with initiatives such as this, is the hope to create the globally recognized status of climate refugees in order to take a broader approach on dealing with displacement. Planned relocation is also underway in select regions of the world and is need on a much larger scale in the near future. It is far better if someone can help people move out before disaster hits rather than after the fact. There is a urgent need to relocate villages away from eroding coastlines in Africa and Panama, for example. This requires arrangements between countries, so the migrants are both prepared to move and are not taken advantage of while traveling. There is a need for more protection and assistance, even a military visa for temporary protection. all of this I view as an opportunity for the U.S. military and its allies to get involved and lend a helping hand.
The head of the Department of the International Organization for Migration wish to help populations migrate with dignity. He explained that " the environment often combines with other factors that lead to displacement." There are also 6 dichotomies to be taken into account:
1. Internal Vs. International migration
2. Temporal Vs. Permanent immigrants
3. Forced Vs. Voluntary migration
4. Migration related to sudden events Vs. Migration due to slow patterns
5. Suffering from the impacts of climate change Vs. Preparing oneself beforehand to move
6. Problem Vs. Solution migration - This is the idea that even though migration is often part of the solution to a problem, it can also lead to many problems that can arise down the road.
Each must be fully considered by the IOM regularly as they deal with migration issues.
Additionally, the Atlas of Environmental Migration, which was published just a few days ago, and the Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change also contain very important topics of research when it comes to working with climate refugees. For those further interested, there also is a Museum of immigration history in Paris.
It is currently estimated that 40% of conflict is due to climate change caused events which means that the issue of war and peace is also and environmental issue and a warmer planet will also be a more violent planet. Many currently suspect that the recent drought has played a major role in the Syrian conflict which still rages on today. Also, because similar droughts have occurred in places like Kenya where routes of traditional nomadic populations have been impacted, there is a need to set up migratory corridors. As of now, the legal tools for climate migrants are very few and far between. Unfortunately, it seems that the status of climate refugee will prove to be generally ineffective and the current notion of refugees is usually only used with populations in regions of present conflict. What should occur is the introduction of national level regulation and laws to integrate across boarders to assist migrating climate refugees. There also needs to be a development of regional tools, such as soft laws or guidelines (ethical codes) to dealing with displaced peoples. There should be temporary protection laws to support migrants from natural disasters and human rights must always be implemented, which unfortunately is not currently the case.
Some other notes that I gathered included:
-Where funding will come from is a common sticking point (green fund, private sector, government, FBOs, NGOs, IGOs).
-Need to educate populations about resilience and about migration before it actually occurs.
-Some say that military involvement/aid would only be a catalyst for further conflict in certain situations.
-Climate must be integrated into migratory policies, especially because states want to keep their sovereignty.
-All of this is about people.
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