Seeking justice for climate refugees

The Centre for Climate Justice has put its name to a campaign which calls on governments to recognise climate refugees.

Centre director Professor Tahseen Jafry has given her signature to the Environmental Justice Foundation campaign and petition, #RecogniseClimateRefugees.

The campaign seeks a legal definition which recognises the role global heating plays in multiplying the threats which contribute to displacing communities. This is seen as a first step to developing a new international framework for the protection of climate refugees, and the Environmental Justice Foundation is building a coalition of NGOs, academics, and high-profile individuals to support this call.

The public campaign will run from September to October and will result in a detailed report on the legal gaps which leave climate refugees unprotected, and the changes that are needed.

Professor Jafry said: “The world has seen an 80% increase in climate-related disasters since 1980​. The implications for climate-inducted migration is clear. Protecting those most vulnerable is so vitally important and the development of a new international framework is a significant step in this direction.”