Climate migrant, climate refugee, environmental migrant… even terminology becomes unclear when referring to the 45.8 million people worldwide who are forced, or choose, to leave their homes due to the effects of climate change and natural disasters. These individuals often cannot maintain a dignified standard of living in their place of origin, yet they lack a universally recognised legal category. According to Essam El-Hinnawi, a renowned researcher in the field, environmental migrants are “those people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or permanently, because of marked environmental disruption (natural and/or triggered by people) that jeopardised their existence and/or seriously affected the quality of their life.”
Despite the widespread use of the term “climate refugees,” these individuals fall outside the scope of the 1951 Geneva Convention. They are not fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. Many reject the label “refugee” altogether, as it frames their situation through the lens of asylum rather than addressing the root cause: climate change and the urgent need for global action. Moreover, refugee status requires proving that one’s country is either the persecutor or unable to provide protection. In many climate‑affected regions, states may be willing to protect their citizens but unable to do so effectively when disasters recur with increasing intensity.
A significant proportion of climate‑affected individuals are Internally Displaced People (IDPs), those who flee their homes but remain within their country’s borders. Over the past decade, 250 million IDPs were registered as a result of weather‑related disasters. In 2025 alone, 9.8 million people were displaced internally for climate‑related reasons.
When Climate Change Destroys Your Life
For many, climate change still feels distant, an abstract threat that translates into higher food prices or increased reliance on air conditioning. For others, it is the devastating reality of watching a home collapse under a hurricane or seeing an entire field of crops submerged by floodwaters.
According to the Climate Risk Index, in 2024 the 10 countries most affected by climate change’s consequences are St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Chad, Papua New uinea, Niger, Nepal, Philippines, Malaxi, Myanmar, Vietnam.
Climate change has become a risk multiplier, intensifying existing inequalities and exacerbating the impacts of conflict, violence, and forced displacement.
The year 2025 marked yet another escalation in extreme weather conditions; rising temperatures:
- intensified prolonged heatwaves,
- worsened drought conditions and fire weather,
- increased the extreme rainfall and winds associated with severe storms and floods that resulted in thousands of fatalities and displaced millions of people
- disproportionally affected women in highly vulnerable contexts, such as South Sudan, due to their concentration in informal, heat-exposed working environment (agriculture, street vending)
Beyond the visible destruction, there are many effects which are hidden, but of humanitarian significance. Climate change sits at an intersection between the main causes of an increase of vulnerability and a decrease of quality of life for many. Land degradation is accelerated by climate change, lands deteriorate faster and easier, affecting water for both irrigation and drinking; this means that the quality and quantity of said water impacts food security, livelihoods, income, particularly for those dependent on agriculture and farming. As poverty deepens, and access to essential resources such as food, water and so on becomes harder, economic instability rises through the roof, and the spread of disease, and becomes more likely, causing general instability in the country; this brings us to countries where war and conflicts have spread, such as Sahel, Chad or Nigeria.
IDPs and refugees living in camps face even greater risks; highly exposed to natural disasters and often lack adequate structural integrity. When natural disaster strikes, living condition deteriorate dramatically, and fundamental human rights and dignity are compromised.
Recommendations
Throughout this blog, we have highlighted the urgent and complex reality faced by millions living in displacement and uncertainty due to climate change. Climate‑related risks are projected to increase significantly.
According to several reports, climate-related risks are set to increase, causing a pick in human displacement. Between them, the Ecological Threat Register (ETR): by 2050 around 1 billion people are at risk of being displaced due to environmental change, conflict and civil unrest; regions most at risk of disasters include Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Middle East and North Africa.
A change in how we treat the issue of climate change is needed, and the time to change is now.
We are here to offer some recommendations on climate migrants and climate change, two topics we proved to be strongly interlinked:
- Limiting global warming through ambitious and rapid mitigation measures, for instance by mitigating global emissions
- Strengthening national preparedness to natural disasters, such as integrating a displacement plan into the national measures
- Providing climate migrants with a legal framework that ensures protection and guarantees their rights in the short term
- Supporting displaced communities in preserving and rehabilitating their environment
- Investing in resilience by improving preparedness and strengthening the capacity of refugees, IDPs, and host communities to face climate impacts.
Final Thoughts
Climate migration is not a distant scenario, it is a present reality shaping the lives of millions. As climate change accelerates, so does the urgency to rethink how we understand, protect, and support those forced to move. Recognising climate migrants, addressing the legal gaps, and investing in resilience are not optional steps; they are essential to safeguarding human dignity in a rapidly changing world. The choices made today will determine whether future generations inherit a world of escalating displacement or one where courage, solidarity, and preparedness guide our collective response.