Building International Approaches to Climate Change, Disasters, and Displacement

Abstract

On average, one person is displaced each second by a disaster-related hazard. Most people move within their own countries, but some are forced across international borders. This article outlines the scope of existing international legal frameworks to assist people displaced in the context of disasters and climate change, and suggests a variety of different tools that are required to address the phenomenon. Legal, policy, technical and scientific interventions, including disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and mitigation, development, and migration opportunities, will determine whether, and for how long, people can remain in their homes, and whether doing so enables them to lead dignified lives or exposes them to risks and increased vulnerability. Identifying the need for a broad, complementary set of policy strategies necessarily affects how international law should be progressively developed in this area.

Keywords: disaster, climate change, migration, refugee, displacement, international law