Originally published on the CGS blog on December 16, 2015.
Record flooding in Chennai this month combined with the UN COP21 Conference has brought climate change once again to the forefront of international discussions. While scientists concede that we cannot link individual events directly to climate change, it is reasonable to infer that the record rainfall and flooding in Chennai is due in part to our deteriorating environment.
However, despite claiming nearly 300 lives, there are signs of hope in Chennai. As schools begin to reopen, we can assume that most citizens will eventually return to their homes. This has not always been the case with weather disasters, and it will likely become even rarer in the future if climate change worsens.
“Environmental refugees” is still a relatively new concept, and the issue was ignored at COP21. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has compiled materials to prepare for large-scale displacement, but there are pressing legal issues in the way of coping with environmental refugees. The Climate Institute points out:
The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) defines refugees as victims of persecution, war, or civil conflict who have fled their home countries. Refugee status entitles a person to a safe asylum in another country-or in the absence of this possibility, the provision of assistance and aid ‘such as financial grants, food, tools and shelter, schools and clinics.’
Achieving refugee status, particularly in the United States, is incredibly difficult, as the ongoing refugee crisis in the Middle East demonstrates. Until the HNCHR is able to recognize environmental refugees formally, there is little protection provided for these individuals. While those displaced by climate disasters wait to move to another country or region, it is important to note that refugee camps are certainly not immune from climate change.
Even in the United States, we witnessed citizens fleeing New Orleans in the midst of Hurricane Katrina. Many never returned to their hometown, as the New Orleans clean-up effort continues 10 years later amidst bureaucratic failures.
The United Nations and state leaders cannot assume that all environmental disasters will be fixable as Chennai appears to be. In addition to causing physical damage via tsunamis or torrential rains, climate change causes shifts to ecosystems and destroys food supplies. These are not problems that can be easily resolved, and they will undoubtedly cause displacement. If we have learned anything from the current refugee crisis, it is that we need to be prepared for the worst and develop sustainable procedures for coping with mass displacement.
