'Climate Migrants' Recognized in Paris Draft Agreement

The recognition of “climate migrants” and “climate migration” in a draft text of the Paris climate change agreement was welcomed by human rights advocates Friday, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which said millions more people will be displaced by the effects of climate change if world leaders fail to curb global warming.

World leaders have gathered in Paris to discuss efforts to stave off climate change and push a legally binding agreement to hold the biggest carbon emitters accountable for their emission of greenhouse gases.

“Now that climate change and migration are an integral part of the draft agreement, we can justifiably speak of 'climate migration’ and ‘climate migrants’,” said IOM Director William Lacy Swing in a statement.

Millions of people have lost their homes or land due to the rising sea levels in low-lying areas, such as the island nations in the Pacific.  Others, especially farmers, are at risk of losing their livelihoods because of extreme droughts, acid rain and other environmental changes.

The inclusion of “specific language,” the IOM said, that enshrines the importance of “promoting, protecting and respecting…the rights of migrants in vulnerable climate situations” is a significant step toward protection migrant rights.  Millions of people currently live in such vulnerable situations, most of them in developing countries.

The United Nations estimates that there will be about 200 million climate refugees by 2050.  Last year, 19.3 million people were displaced because of natural disasters, the majority of which were caused by extreme weather events, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. The IOM said 192 million people will live in floodplains in urban areas in Africa and Asia by 2060.

Read more at 'Climate Migrants' Recognized in Paris Draft Agreement