The climate crisis and refugees
Since 2001, the United Nations has held ‘World Refugee Day’ on June 20th to bring public awareness to the difficult situations faced by the millions of refugees across the world. The UN 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone leaving their country due to persecution, conflict or war. Therefore, those who leave their countries in the context of climate change do not qualify for protection under international law.
As the climate crisis has developed, more people have become displaced due to the impacts of climate change including extreme weather, rising sea levels and threats to food security both within and across borders. Recent trends indicate more displacement due to climate-related disasters with a current estimate of 40 million climate refugees. The worst affected countries are India, Philippines, Bangladesh, China and the United States.
Many of the most affected countries have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis. This demonstrates how all of our actions are interconnected and can have far-reaching impacts. Our response to the climate crisis and refugee crisis needs to be well thought out to ensure that everyone is considered and given the best chance.
Understanding the interconnectedness of our actions requires us to think in systems. The OnePlanet technology helps users to think in a joined-up way and discover solutions to issues by focusing on the outcomes they want to achieve with their ‘ecosystem’ of stakeholders. To find out more, view our website here. Contact us directly by booking a session here or email us at: contact@oneplanet.com