Displacement and International Protection in a Warming World
Most climate-related displacement occurs within a country’s territory, but when people cross borders, it poses particular challenges. Policymakers in destination countries face the task of simultaneously managing borders and addressing arriving migrants’ emergency assistance and protection needs. Yet, the migration and refugee policy tools available are rarely, if ever, designed with climate displacement in mind.
There is no consensus, for example, on what status climate-displaced people should receive, what rights and benefits they are entitled to, and how states should respond if climate change has rendered their homes uninhabitable. And unless policymakers proactively manage climate displacement, these movements can further weaken already fragile migration management and asylum systems.
This issue brief explores what role the international protection system can and should play in responses to cross-border climate displacement and highlights steps policymakers could take to diversify the policy toolkit beyond the protection realm.
1 Introduction
2 The Meaning and Value of International Protection
3 Four Scenarios of Climate-Related Mobility: Which Are Protection Problems?
4 Filling the Gaps: Protection and Migration Policy Options
A. Facilitate Entry in the Context of Climate and Disaster Displacement
B. Provide Flexible Forms of Status
C. Strengthen Broader Mobility Opportunities
D. Create Bespoke Climate Mobility Pathways
E. Ensure Access to Refugee Protection for Those Eligible
5 Conclusions