by Christina Li
Human Displacement and Climate Crisis Nexus: A Relentless Cycle
Abstract:
The evidence for climate change has long been irrefutable — from toxic algae blooms to the bleaching of coral reefs, climate change is the biggest challenge of our generation. It has far surpassed being simply an environmental issue; instead, it is an all-encompassing threat to humanity. Undeniably, various crucial components of society hang in precarious balance, including peace and security, agriculture and economic prosperity.
Yet, one of the most devastating impacts of climate change still goes largely disregarded in the media; already affecting a record 55 million people in total (Al), the nexus between climate change and human displacement has become impossible to ignore. At the heart of this problem lies the way in which least developed countries (LDCs) are disproportionately affected — the most fragile and vulnerable nations deal with the brunt of the impacts, and are left at the frontline of the climate crisis (UNHRC).
How Climate Change Affects LDCs:
When understanding how deeply LDCs are displaced by the climate crisis, it is crucial to understand “climate hotspots'', which are specific regions where the effects of climate change are most pronounced. This, paired with lack of resources and infrastructure in the region will cause the populations of these climate hotspots to be incredibly vulnerable ((UNHRC).
Fig 1.0: Map depicting the climate hotspots around the world along with added environmental factor stresses, such as water scarcity or agriculture declines ( Population Action International, 2011).
Based on Figure 1.0, the trend is clear; least developed countries are heavily affected, and additional statistics prove this point. In fact, around 90% of refugees in today’s world come from countries that are “ least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change” (UN News).
A case study of Afghanistan further illustrates this point — from long droughts to relentless floods, Afghanistan’s rolling hills and snow-capped mountains are constantly battered with devastating weather conditions. Based on data collected in the last 30 years, nearly all of its
provinces have been hit with a weather disaster (UN News). For instance, the recurring floods not only destroy homes and livelihoods, but also degrade long term sustainability. As a result of declining agriculture, in 2021, nearly half the country’s population lacked enough food. Of this number, at least 5.5 million faced “emergency levels of food deprivation” (UN News). To escape the precarious conditions and added political unrest, as of 2020, 2.7 million registered refugees were displaced to other countries, with another 2.6 million displaced internally (UN News).
How This Problem Persists:
Human displacement from climate change has become a growing concern, yet mitigating this problem is a complex task. This is because the factors driving this problem are deep-seated, spurring a persistent cycle that is difficult to break.
Already impoverished nations in climate hotspots are battered with continuous disasters that grow in scale. These nations are often already facing external stressors such as political unrest, water scarcity or extreme poverty, and thus cannot mitigate the damages of climate disasters themselves. Disaster after disaster, the domino effect leaves these nations no time to recover or build their resilience to climate change. Hence, this relentless cycle continues, increasing the number of climate-induced migrations. By 2050, 143 million climate migrants are expected to come from three of the largest climate hotspot regions: Latin America, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (Podesta).
The Ripple Effect:
Though these climate hotspots lie at the epicenter of this crisis, its ripples can be felt across the world. Firstly, these fragile epicentres will face “climate change stressors on natural resources” (Werrell), degrading their ability to stabilize and govern themselves.
For the global community, this means conflicts and tensions that can arise in neighbouring nations as populations fluctuate from climate refugees. This tension and stress placed on natural resources can spillover to affect countries worldwide, as the possibility for conflict rises. Along with this comes economic insecurity — a problem that can only grow in scale.
Conclusion:
With climate change being on the forefront in the media, it is increasingly important to recognize the connection between climate change and human displacement — especially the amplified effect on LDCs. Without proper investment into climate resilient infrastructure for LDCs, the cycle will only persist, resulting in devastating repercussions for the global community. It is crucial, now more than ever, to address the root of the issue and mitigate the damages of climate change before it is too late.
Works Cited:
Al Jazeera. “In 2020, More People Displaced by Extreme Climate than Conflict.” Business and Economy News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 25 May 2021,
www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/25/bbin-2020-more-people-displaced-by-extreme-climate-tha n-conflict#:~:text=News%20%7C%20Al%20Jazeera-,In%202020%2C%20more%20people%20dis placed%20by%20extreme%20climate%20than%20conflict,due%20to%20extreme%20weather%20 events. Accessed 2 Aug 2021
Podesta, John. “The climate crisis, migration, and refugees”. Brookings. July 2019, www.brookings.edu/research/the-climate-crisis-migration-and-refugees/. Accessed 2 Aug 2021
Population Action International. MAPPING Population AND Climate Change Hotspots. 2011, https://pai.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mapping_climate_change.pdf. Accessed 2 Aug 2021
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Climate Change and Disaster Displacement.” UNHCR, (n.d), www.unhcr.org/climate-change-and-disasters.html. Accessed 2 Aug 2021
UN News. “Climate change link to displacement of most vulnerable is clear: UNHCR.” UNHRC. April 2021, news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090432. Accessed 2 Aug 2021
Werrell E. Caitlyn et al. “Climate change raises conflict concerns”. UNESCO. 2018, https://en.unesco.org/courier/2018-2/climate-change-raises-conflict-concerns. Accessed 2 Aug 2021