Earth Refuge

A Legal Lifeline For Climate Migrants

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Listen to communities

Mission and Vision

A solution should be crafted by and placed in the hands of the individuals living the problem. 

Climate change is contributing to what is arguably the largest problem of them all: mass displacement. 

Its effects are global and multifaceted, and the key to addressing them is to actively listen to impacted communities in the pursuit of justice. At Earth Refuge, we merge their testimonies with our legal insights to generate accessible solutions to climate migration.

Our Projects

7 mil

‘Around 7 million people in 104 countries and territories are living in displacement as a result of disasters’ 

98%

‘More than 98% of the 30.7 million new displacements in 2020 are the result of weather-related hazards’

Top 5

‘The top 5 countries with the highest number of internally displaced persons due to disasters are Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Sudan’

What We Do

Legal Solutions

Through adopting a legal approach to solving climate-induced migration, Earth Refuge goes beyond awareness and advocacy by providing resources to empower those in need.

Our legal initiatives are 3-pronged – Research, Advocacy and Education – and our approach to fulfilling them is thorough, which means that they will take time.

Legal Database

Since March 2021, our global team of legal researchers have skilfully researched, selected, and analysed a collection of legal decisions ranging a number of topics, jurisdictions, precedents, or persuasive authorities. 

Each one has been chosen because it has the potential to be seen through a climate migration ‘lens’.

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Our Community

Though our aim is to provide legal solutions to climate migration, the law does not operate in a vacuum, so providing context through insight into surrounding issues and perspectives is essential to this task.

We want to dispel the myth of lawyers as the gatekeepers of justice, and to bring this gargantuan issue into normal discourse. 

The Latest

ICJ Submission on the Request for Advisory Opinion

Earth Refuge in collaboration with Climate Refugees and other experts and professionals submitted a brief to the International Court of Justice on the request for an advisory opinion as to obligations of states in respect of climate change. The brief urges national governments to develop procedures which facilitate planned migration, resettlement, and relocation, but only as last resort measures. Communities’ right to stay in place and return when possible should be upheld.

Read the brief here →

International School on Climate Mobilities

Read the brief here →

Events, Panels and Media Releases

a building with columns

Submission to the Canadian Senate

Alongside Dr. Camila Bustos, Assistant Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and Monica Iyer, Clinical Fellow and Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University School of Law, along with other experts in the field, Earth Refuge was invited to submit a written brief to the Senate Committee for their review.

Access Testimony →

a view of a city from across the water

Boston University: Initiatives on Cities

In November 2023, Yumna Kamel, Executive Director of Earth Refuge was invited to run a climate displacement workshop at Boston University. Most metropolitan areas are failing to plan for the necessary physical and social infrastructure to accommodate the expected influx of climate refugees. The aim of this workshop was to address this problem by bringing all the stakeholders together to strategize ways forward.

ClientEarth: International Women’s Day Panel on Embracing Equity

In March 2023, ClientEarth supporters came together to speak about equity in the climate justice space, the link between the climate crisis and gender equality and what it means to be a climate activist.

Read More →

Doughty Street International: Climate Migration in Law and Policy

Executive Director Yumna Kamel shared her insights on the legal issues relating to climate migration at a webinar hosted by the Doughty Street Chambers and its Climate and Environmental Justice and Immigration Teams  in London.

Read More →

Duke University: The Roots, Experiences and Future of Climate Justice

On 30 September 2022, against the backdrop of Hurricane Ian, Duke University hosted a discussion to engage with these questions and reflect on how to create an equitable and actionable vision of climate justice. Co-founder Yumna Kamel was a panellist, alongside Prof. Jennifer Haddington and William Barber III.

Watch Panel →

YOUNGO x UNICEF: Unpacking the Climate-Migration Nexus

This event sought to bridge gaps in knowledge, raise awareness, open opportunities, and to instigate advocacy and action on the climate change and migration nexus on the road to COP27. Lauren Grant, Director of Field Research, at Earth Refuge contributed as a panellist, sharing her insights on ‘Agency in Climate-Related (Im)Mobilities.’

Watch Panel →

University of Cambridge: Environmental Displacement and Migration Conference

The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Global Human Movement in association with Cambridge Zero held a climate change and migration conference at Newnham College. Yumna Kamel, Executive Director of Earth Refuge, presented on the topic: “Climate Migration: a solutions-based approach to the legal vacuum”.

Read More →

St Andrews UNICEF on Campus: Global Child Famine in Covid-19, Climate Change & Conflict

Earth Refuge Lead Correspondent Ole Ter Wey shared his insights on climate change, migration and Kiribati at the University of St Andrews UNICEF on Campus Symposium. The aim of the event was to raise awareness and funds for those suffering from food scarcity both in the UK and internationally. 

Instagram →

University of Pennsylvania Media Release: Climate Migration Trailblazers

Yumna Kamel LLM’20 and Stephanie Hader LLM’20 are the founders of Earth Refuge, an innovative think tank centered on climate migration.

Read Article →

University of California, Berkeley x Earth Refuge: Climate Displacement: A Solutions-based Panel

Earth Refuge and the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law present: Climate Displacement – A Solutions-Based Panel

Watch Panel →

LSE x Earth Refuge: Climate Displacement and Migration

Hosted by the Department of Social Policy Green Team and Earth Refuge on the 28th June 2022, this webinar is uniquely structured to provide a more holistic and solutions-focused understanding of the problem of climate-driven migration and displacement.

Watch Webinar →

Georgetown University: Climate Migration: What’s Happening?

Georgetown Law’s International Migrants Bill of Rights Presents: Climate Migration: What’s happening and what to expect. Listen to Earth Refuge Co-Founder Yumna Kamel share her insights alongside other brilliant minds in the field.

Watch Panel →