With ecological disruption in place comes an intolerable tide of people, forced to become refugees
In the future, more refugees will be created by climate change, not war
Since 2018, a whopping 21
5 million people have been forcibly displaced by climate-induced disasters such as floods, storms, wildfires and extreme temperatures
While climate trauma sees no boundaries, most shockwaves are now felt in developing countries — which have contributed little to nothing to the climate crisis we face today
The number of climate refugees in Pakistan is expected to skyrocket from 680,000 in 2020 to a whopping 2 million by 2050
Communities in vulnerable situations, children, women, persons with disabilities and those living in climate hotspots are disproportionately at risk from adverse impacts of accelerated climate change
With fast melting glaciers, torrential rains and floods becoming the norm, massive scale climate-displacement remains on the cards
Bangladesh, also called Asia’s next tiger, remains one of the most vulnerable countries to accelerated climate change
According to World Bank, more than 19 million people in Bangladesh will become internal climate refugees by the end of 2050
Around 2000 climate-displaced people move to Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, on a daily basis
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) states that around 70% of Dhaka’s slum-dwellers moved there fleeing some sort of environmental shock
The question is: for how long will Dhaka, which is already overpopulated, host climate refugees? Another South Asian country which is most vulnerable to climate-induced displacement is Maldives
Located in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is the world’s lowest-lying nation, which indicates that rising sea levels and soil erosion threaten its very existence
According to the World Economic Forum, more than 80% of the country’s land area lies at less than one metre above sea level
Rising seas will force out millions to leave their homes, inevitably creating a massive climate refugee crisis
While South Asia’s humanitarian crisis is expected to quadruple with the making of climate refugees, another region which faces the same fate is Africa
With extreme weather temperatures and lack of rainfall, the African continent is facing record-breaking droughts on a daily basis
With limited resources, fierce competition between local communities is out in the open
What’s more disturbing is that violence between Boko Haram, a terrorist organisation, and the Nigerian state has dwindled agriculture production since 2009, sparking a major humanitarian crisis
Ecological disruption, Boko Haram’s extremist moves, extreme hunger, disease and poverty are converging on an already vulnerable community in the Lake Chad region
As climate change gains momentum with chronic droughts and loss of agriculture activities, more Somalians are moving towards piracy, violence in the Gulf of Aden region
Somalia’s once thriving illegal fishing industry also witnesses a bleak future
Over the last 50 years, the world has lost half of its coral reefs
It is crucial to point out that around 30% of the world’s fisheries depend on coral reefs
With the fish count on a downward trajectory, Somalia inevitably faces a huge dent in its fishing industry, which is now forcing locals to move towards piracy
With piracy becoming common and fisheries on the decline, Somalia is moving towards a massive humanitarian crisis
It is evident that accelerated climate change is quadrupling the number of climate refugees, who now look towards counterproductive means, such as piracy, as a source of livelihood
Today’s ignored climate emergency is the most defining crisis of our time, impacting every region across the planet
Accelerated climate change is driving displacement and exacerbating the vulnerability of those already forced to flee
Governments and policymakers must invest in preparedness to mitigate future protection needs and prevent further climate caused displacement
We’ve already witnessed destructive climate-induced disasters
Waiting isn’t an option anymore
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2023
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| Date: | 23-Feb-2023 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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