The report further stated that three-quarters of world’s forcibly displaced population is concentrated in countries that are affected by climate hazards
Around three-quarters of world’s forcibly displaced population is concentrated in countries that are affected by climate hazards. The rising refugee crisis that's coming to forefront due to climate change, was highlighted in a UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report released at the COP29 climate meeting in Azerbaijan.
“For the world’s most vulnerable people, climate change is a harsh reality that profoundly affects their lives,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.
“The climate crisis is driving displacement in regions already hosting large numbers of people uprooted by conflict and insecurity, compounding their plight and leaving them with nowhere safe to go,” Grandi added.
Various refugee communities have displaced to climate change hotspots. These are locations that are surrounded by double edged sword as these hotspots are prone to effects of climate change and natural disasters, compromising their security and risking them of secondary displacement. For instance, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Bangladesh is helping Rohingya refugees to reduce the effect of monsoon storms, flooding and landslides.
Read more: The Global Refugee Crisis In Numbers
“In our region, where so many people have been displaced for so many years, we see the effects of climate change before our very eyes,” Grace Dorong, a climate activist and former refugee living in South Sudan stated.
Refugees and their host communities can end up in a tussle because of climate change and natural disasters if there is rivalry over natural resources, food, water and land rights. As per UNHCR, the Sahel region of Western Africa, witnessing one of the world’s fastest growing displacement crisis with temperatures rising 1.5 times faster than the global average and changing weather patterns. The elevated temperatures are risking agricultural activities in places are stressing the majority of the population that depends on the land, posing risk for new displacement.
“I hope the voices of the people in this report help decision-makers to understand that if not addressed, forced displacement – and the multiplying effect of climate change – will get worse. But if they listen to us, we can be part of the solution, too,” Dorong expressed.
UNHCR recognised 22 countries having effects of climate change which are expected to be most severe between now and 2030. These countries include regions greatly impacted by both conflict and climate change, including countries in the Eastern Horn of Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Honduras and more. In all, these countries host 52 percent of all internally displaced people, 24 percentages of all stateless people and 28 percent of all refugees.