How are climate change and displacement connected?

Every year, millions are forcibly displaced by extreme weather events – such as drought, floods, wildfires, extreme temperatures and coastal erosion linked to rising sea levels. These events are happening more often and with greater force year on year. Refugee populations caught in these events are especially vulnerable.

Climate change is also a "threat multiplier" in many of today's conflicts, from Iraq to Syria to Darfur and Somalia. Climate change can sow the seeds for conflict, but it also makes displacement much worse when it happens.

This is why UNHCR is committed to raising awareness of climate change as a driver of displacement and taking action to improve the sustainability of our operations, such as:

Reducing the environmental impact of refugee settlements, such as solar powered electricity and tree-planting to counter land degradation after a major emergency.
Supporting legal advocacy to inform the development of rights for people displaced by disasters and climate change.
Calling for disaster displacement to be prioritised in future policy planning and humanitarian coordination.

How can I help?

See also: Climate change and disaster displacement