Immigration Article of the Day: Facing the Prospect of ‘Mass Exodus’, Can International Law Adequately Protect ‘Climate Refugees’ in the 21st Century? by Cypren Fluzin
Facing the Prospect of ‘Mass Exodus’, Can International Law Adequately Protect ‘Climate Refugees’ in the 21st Century? by Cyprien Fluzin, Ecology Law Quarterly, Forthcoming
Abstract
On February 14th, 2023, UN Secretary General Guterres launched a desperate call for the international community to mobilize and adopt urgent measures to tackle the climate crisis. Among the most pressing challenges Mr. Guterres warned the world against was in particular the risk of a “a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale”, he added “People’s human rights do not disappear because their homes do … [y]es, this means international refugee law.” Yet, international lawyers know that international refugee law provides only a very limited avenue to address the phenomenon of “climate refugees” or climate-induced forced displacement. This paper adds to the literature on the topic by reviewing the variety of provisions of international law that apply, or not, to such circumstances, and analyzing some of the latest developments in human rights law and environmental law.
KJ