Climate change could displaced 1.2 billion people by 2050: Here are 4 facts about climate migration

Climate change has turned into potentially the greatest threat to humanity. Extreme natural disasters, rising temperatures and damaged ecosystems are forcing people to abandon their homes and take shelter in places that seem safe for the time being.

Climate migration is devastating people’s lives. Imagine losing your home to floods, going hungry because of a failed harvest or drought, or being forced to flee your place due to rising sea levels, desertification or any other potential threat.

This is the reality for millions and millions of climate refugees across the globe. These people are constantly surviving on the frontlines of the climate crisis. For them, climate change is as good as real and it is happening at the moment.

Four important facts about climate migration

1. 1.2 billion climate refugees by 2050

Climate migration is expected to increase even further in coming decades. Forecasts from international thinktank IEP predicts that 1.2 billion people could be displaced globally by the middle of the century due to climate change and natural disasters.

2. Climate migrants not legally considered refugees

The media and advocacy groups often refer to climate migrants as climate refugees. But these people are not legally considered refugees. The 1951 Refugee Convention does not recognise the environment as a persecuting agent.

3. Climate migration is a reality

People are already moving because of climate stressors and changing atmospheric patterns. It can be salinity intrusion in Bangladesh making it difficult for farmers to cultivate rice or flooding in Kenya killing livestock and destroying crops.

4. No exact number of climate migrants

There are no reliable estimates of the number of people on the move today or in the future as a result of climate change. The reason for this is a difficulty untangling the reasons for migration and a lack of official numbers on internal country movement.