The Story of September 2023
As Storm Daniel ravaged the northeastern part of Libya, there stood two ageing, ignored, and decayed dams, both built in the 1970s, ready to burst. And they did. Tens of millions of cubic meters of water were released into the city of Derna at night, killing thousands, displacing thousands more, and transforming a vibrant city into a wasteland. Evidence has been found that experts who warned of the dam's instability and the possibility of a catastrophe unfolding, had called for structural maintenance in the past, but were ignored. It was a climate-man-made disaster waiting to happen. Earlier in the week, on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, the week-long rainfall in Greece, also caused by Storm Daniel, initiated regional flash flooding, landslides, road and bridge collapses, leading to the loss of 15 lives, and widespread displacement. Both ‘biblical catastrophes’ induced by Daniel are just a glimpse into the increasing catalogue of climate change-induced natural disasters.
Climate Mobilities: The Neglected Narrative
The phrases “climate change” and “climate crisis” are common place now. The words “refugee,” “asylum seeker,” and “migrant” circulate in the news. Climate change and human movement across borders shape the political and social narrative we live in. But how often have you heard the term “climate mobility,” “climate migrant,” or “climate refugee”?
‘Climate mobilities’ is a concept that refers to all types of movement of people due to environmental factors intensified by climate change, such as sea-level rise, cyclones, droughts, wildfires, floods, resource insecurity, and the spread of diseases. The concept of 'mobilities' encompasses migration, displacement, and immobility; signifying both voluntary and involuntary climate-induced movement.
My Connection to the Topic
My journey into the heart of this issue began over six years ago when I started studying and volunteering in the educational, humanitarian and refugee sectors. I noticed a conspicuous absence of climate focus in our discussions surrounding refugeehood and displacement. It seemed that the connection between climate change and migration was largely unexplored, and on the occasions when it was, it was referred to in the future tense, emphasising forthcoming scenarios and predictions, with little acknowledgement that people are being displaced due to climate change right now.
The turning point for me was the catastrophic Cyclone Idai in March 2019. This Category 4-equivalent tropical cyclone - the second-deadliest ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere - struck the coast of Mozambique, subsequently impacting Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Madagascar. The destruction was staggering, with over $USD 3.3 billion in damages and an immeasurable loss of 1,593 lives. The total number of people displaced was 616,550 with over 112,125 houses destroyed. This was a wake-up call, and led to my university dissertation's overarching topic: 'Climate-induced migration in Bangladesh', followed by an MA dissertation on 'Exploring the vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and resilience of disabled people to the impacts of climate change.'
Climate Mobilities: Beyond Multicausality
According to the IDMC, in 2022, 32.6 million people were displaced internally due to factors associated with natural disasters, 25% of which were attributed to the monsoon flooding in Pakistan, producing an overall yearly rainfall 41% higher than the annual average over the past decade. At the end of 2022, 8.7 million people remained internally displaced, largely in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Predictions on the future displacement of people due to climate change have risen as high as up to 1.2 billion people by 2025, according to a new analysis by The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
However, we must be wary and treat these figures with caution. The consequences of the climate are a complex web of interconnecting factors and linking to displacement is convoluted. But what we do know, is that millions (if not hundreds of millions) currently are, and are further at risk of climate-induced displacement. Therefore, climate mobilities in all its forms is no longer a distant spectre, it is a reality millions face today. We must recognise that climate-induced migration is a defining feature of our era.
As climate change continues to intensify environmental hazards, we will witness a surge in climate refugees. These refugees, driven from their homes by environmental upheavals, will become the new norm of displacement. The 1951 Refugee Convention stands as a crucial cornerstone in safeguarding the rights of refugees worldwide, yet there is a significant gap as no worldwide agreed legal convention defines climate-related factors as grounds for refugeehood. The Convention urgently needs to address the issue of forced migration due to climate change. The question that lingers is: How do we address this impending crisis when our legal, national, regional, and international frameworks remain inadequate and fragmented?
Solutions: Navigating the Storm
CO2 historical emissions contribution is one aspect that demands our attention. Developed nations have produced most of the greenhouse gases that have accelerated climate change, and yet in the main, not directly felt their devastating impacts. Acknowledging this historical responsibility is vital in crafting equitable solutions. However, this argument has been largely absent in international climate summits and made little progress in national policy priorities. This must change.
Improving the international legal framework for climate migrants and climate refugees is another crucial step. We need guidelines for the protection and rights of all those displaced and vulnerable to environmental events. Existing legal frameworks - at the national, regional, and international levels - must be adapted and expanded to include climate refugees explicitly.
Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strategies are what the world needs to work on together to mitigate the impact of climate-induced disasters, prevent displacement and save lives. These strategies must acknowledge the additional vulnerabilities of marginalised communities and prioritise their protection. That means platforming the experiences, voices and learning from disabled people, indigenous groups, women, young people, and the LGBTQ+ community.
In this era of climate mobilities and climate refugees, our actions today will determine the fate of countless individuals and the future of our planet. It's time to recognise the urgency of the situation, bridge the legal gaps, and work together to ensure that no one is left adrift in a world increasingly defined by its environmental challenges. Climate change knows no borders, and neither should our commitment to addressing its migrational complexities.
If you would like to discuss these issues further please contact Jake directly: jake@staugustinescentrehalifax.org.uk