Category: Current Affairs Regions

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Impact of Sea-level Rise on Migration in Bangladesh

10 May 2021 – by Hazal Yilmaz

A new study suggests that movement, especially in low-lying coastal areas, induced by sea-levels rising may trigger a migration wave that will affect around 1.3 million Bangladeshi by 2050.

The mathematical model in the study considers the sequential impact of migration, with respect to the interaction between migrants and residents, by evaluating economic factors alongside human behaviour. The predictions revealed by the model are that primarily the southern regions of the country will be affected and as a result 64 different districts may be subject to forced displacement. According to the American Geophysical Union, there is even a possibility that migrants may also displace existing residents.

The predictions for the capital city of Dhaka in particular stipulate that the population of the city will first increase, before it will be met with a decline due to overcrowding. Furthermore, foreseeing the potential paths of migration through the model may also help in the prevention of conflicts and resource shortages through apt preparations.

The authors of the study submit that using predictive models should guide all future decisions on climate migration, whether with relation to sea level rise, or other natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts and forest fires.

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Brazilian Supreme Court Backs Indigenous Community in the Fight for Ancestral Territory

6 May 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

A landmark decision in the fight for the rights of Brazil’s Indigenous communities has been made by the country’s Supreme Federal Court (STF). STF judges have agreed to review a 2014 ruling which cancelled the demarcation of ancestral territory of the Guarani Kaiowá Indigenous people. The court came to this conclusion because the 2014 ruling hadn’t included input from the Indigenous community.

The Guyraroká territory, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, was recognized as an Indigenous territory in 2004, and the demarcation process of the territory began in 2009. However, in 2014, STF judges ruled that the Guarani Kaiowá had no legal claim to the territory because they were not living there in 1988, when the Brazilian Constitution was adopted.

This latest STF ruling doesn’t overturn the 2014 ruling to cancel the demarcation of the territory, however the case does set an important precedent for other similar cases involving Indigenous land rights.

This recent ruling is important in the current political climate as it marks a push back against the devastation Indigenous communities have faced during the Bolsonaro administration. In recent years President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has pushed to open up Indigenous land to mining, ranching and logging, the biggest attack on Indigenous communities in decades. Bolsonaro has made clear his opposition for Indigenous land demarcation, therefore this STF ruling marks a setback for his administration.

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Community-Based Research Offers Indiginised Solutions for Residents of Alaska’s Kotzebue Sound

4 May 2021 – by Ben St. Laurent

Researchers from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are nearing the end of a five year community based research project designed to study the effects of climate change on sea ice and marine life in Alaska’s Kotzebue Sound. For years, members of the Ikaaġvik Sikukun research project have monitored geophysical changes in sea ice from unmanned aerial systems. In an article published by the university, lead researcher Christopher Zappa spoke with Columbia News about the findings and novel framework of the research project.

While designing the project, researchers convened an ‘Indigenous Expert Advisory Council’, and met with community leaders who have become increasingly concerned with the impacts of climate change on their communities. The team discussed with the community how changes in sea ice were shortening the traditional hunts their lifestyle depends on. According to Zappa, the community based model “grounds the work in the interests of the local stakeholders”, and will provide indiginised solutions to local climate risks. 

Zappa told Columbia News that the research team used insight they gained from indigenous communities to direct their research at studying the “river and ocean interaction, and how the ice behaves” in the Kotzebue Sound. Indigenous communities contributed more than just insight, providing researchers with decades of data which they’ve kept on ice conditions in the region. Zappa hopes that the research, which will soon be fully analysed, not only helps scientists understand the impact of climate change in the region, but also offers useful insights for indigenous communities that enables them to maintain their way of life. Columbia News reports that Zappa and a number of his colleagues are interested in replicating this type of projects with other communities in the region.

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Support to Refugees Key to Climate Disaster Resilience

3 May 2021 – by Atoosa Gitiforoz

The United Nations Refugee Agency has called on states to provide refuge to people displaced by climate change and to contribute to efforts at improving the resilience of at-risk states to future disasters. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), weather-related incidents have lead to an average of 21.5 million new displacements every year over the past decade. It is estimated that this figure could rise to 200 million by 2050.

The majority of displaced peoples as a result of climate disasters remain within their country’s borders, often in dangerous weather conditions. Only a small number seek international refuge. Over 1 billion people live in climate-related hazardous conditions where climate resilience is weak. Weather events such as storms and floods were responsible for around 95% of disaster displacements in 2019. 

Factors exacerbated by climate change

Other drivers of displacement like poverty, food insecurity, conflict, and political and socio-economic factors are often exacerbated by climate change. Countries that currently face these issues are the least prepared for the impact of climate change.

Food insecurity affects 80% of displaced people worldwide. Climate change can decrease crop yields and food production by damaging land and creating dry conditions. Increased prices as a result then lead to an increase in poverty. Water scarcity as a result of climate change is also linked to increased risk of flooding in other areas of land. The ability of conflict areas to respond to climate disasters is limited due to an existing strain on government resources, leaving little room for recovery. This is why it is evermore important for conflict areas at risk of climate change to develop resilience ahead of disasters. Conflict areas are in a major position of risk to the aftermath of climate disasters due to limited safe land and a pre-existing burden on government resources, leaving little room for recovery.

Vulnerable states and regions identified by the UNHCR

The United Nations Refugee council draws attention to the vulnerability of Central America, The Sahel, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Mozambique.

The Dry Corridor refers to the area of Central America where droughts and floods occur, creating displacement and damage to agriculture. In 2020, two hurricanes devastated the region, impacting at least 8 million people.  

In the Sahel region, there are over 2 million internally displaced people (IDP) – 1 million in Burkina Faso alone – where armed groups have exploited tension in poor, drought effected areas. Likewise in Somalia, where 2.9 million are internally displaced, climate change impact has also intertwined with conflict: the militant group, Al-Shabab, has exploited economic hardships caused by drought to boost recruits.

In Yemen, the enduring conflict limits abilities to combat issues brought by climate change, and the country’s experience of flash floods and shorter seasons is contributing to existing food poverty. IDPs in Yemen are four times more likely to suffer from food insecurity.

Afghanistan has endured conflict as well as floods and drought, alongside population growth. These events have led to economic instability, escalating conflict, dry conditions, and a reduction of access to humanitarian aid. It is estimated that about half of Afghanistan’s population of 38 million suffered food insecurity in the first quarter of 2021.

Climate change has worsened Bangladesh’s tropical storms and floods, and the frequency and intensity of these cyclones and floods have devastated the Rohyingya refugee shelters, further displacing them.

In Mozambique, Cyclone Idai, Cyclone Kenneth and Storm Chalane, and Cyclone Eloise – all of which occurred in the space of two years (2019-21) have caused displacement and significant damage to the country’s infrastructure. Pre-existing violence and conflict hampered Mozambique’s recovery. By the end of 2020, 670,000 people from Northern Mozambique had been forced from their homes, as well as 1 million people in need of emergency humanitarian aid.

UNHCR climate efforts

In January 2020, as part of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) climate action agenda, a Special Advisor for Climate Action was appointed. The three main areas of focus for this agenda are: Law and Policy, Operations, and UNHCR’s environmental footprint.

‘Law and Policy’ includes providing legal advice and guidance to states regarding the protection of refugees and IDPs from climate change. Operations involve supporting countries to better prepare ahead of and respond to climate disasters. For example, fast-growing trees, alternative energy sources for cooking, and first responder training were implemented by the UNHCR and its partners to help Rohingya refugees. Its environmental footprint has been improved via initiatives such as ‘The Green Box’ initiative to install energy meters across UNHCR offices linked to a global dashboard which monitors power consumption and suggests alternative energy sources. The UNHCR’s emphasis is on providing early support and help to at-risk states – key to preventing a costly and devastating impact from climate change and reducing the number of displaced peoples

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Dozens of Mayors of Major U.S. Cities Have Asked President Biden to be Included in Climate Migration Study

30 April 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

The U.S. government is considering a plan to offer protection to people coming to the U.S. who have been displaced by drought, rising seas, or other consequences of climate change. Currently, no country offers any legal protections to people who have specifically been displaced due to the effects of climate change.

President Biden’s administration is studying this idea – the president issued an executive order in February ordering national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, to discuss with federal agencies how such protection could be created. A report on these discussions is due to be released in August. If the U.S. did define a climate refugee, it could mark a major shift in global refugee policies.

Last week, mayors across the U.S. signed a letter to President Biden requesting that the study “actively engage U.S. mayors and municipalities” throughout its progression. The letter was signed by mayors of major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, and Chicago. They argue they should be consulted on potential new climate migrant legislation as cities are due to receive most of the people who have been displaced. The letter’s organiser, Vittoria Zanuso, said cities want a role in helping Biden to protect climate migrants, and that any plan should address the relocation of Americans who have been fleeing climate change related disasters, such as forest fires.

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Why Climate Migrants and Undocumented Essential Workers Shouldn’t Be Grouped Together

28 April 2021 – by Caroline Foley

With over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States (US), and the undebatable reality that they have been essential during the pandemic, President Biden has made immigration reform one of his administration’s top priorities. The statistics of undocumented people living in the US have featured in the headlines for quite some time. “We have to stop the flow first,” is the recurring reason given for failing to expand immigration law for the protection of those living in the shadows. The same reasoning was provided in dismissal of Biden’s immigration bill which was introduced in Congress.

Despite contentions that due to the new administration, the border is now ‘open’, the vast majority of migrants are still being turned away at the Southern border. Some politicians associate the increase of people at the border with Biden’s promise of legalization. However, the issue of legalization and a surge of migrants at the border should not be grouped together, because these groups of people are facing very different problems.

As of 2017, most undocumented immigrants have been living in the U.S. for an average of 15 years. They comprise part of the fabric of the American economy and well as society, as parents, community leaders, business owners, and essential workers. However, their humanity is undermined when they face discrimination from the very same society, when their rights as workers and individuals are violated, and when they live in constant fear of deportation.

On the other hand, a large proportion of recent migrants to the US from Central America are fleeing a lack of basic resources in their countries due to the effects of climate change. The use of law enforcement at the border does not address the lack of water and food being experienced in the ‘Dry Corridor’, or the destruction caused by Iota and Eta last year.  It would be beneficial to address this major root cause of migration, and to demilitarize the border and instead invest these funds into sustainability efforts in the US, and climate resilience in Central America. The US should be playing a role in funding the latter as a neighboring country that has very much impacted polices and climate change in Central America.

Climate Migrants

Experts predict that migration will continue to increase when natural disasters intensify as a result of climate change. Currently, approximately 8 million people suffer from food insecurity due to the effects of climate change in Central America, and during 2020, the region endured the formation of 30 cyclones which devastated many areas.

In Honduras specifically, hurricane Eta evolved from tropical depression to Category 4 hurricanes in less than 36 hours. Entire villages were destroyed and buried with mud. The impact of the storm is ongoing as many houses remain destroyed, and people remain unemployed after losing their jobs when plantations were destroyed. This is directly linked to the rise in the surface temperature of the sea.

To address the root cause of migration from neighboring countries, or the so-called “border crisis”, President Biden signed an executive order on February 4, 2021, dubbed ‘Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration’. In section 6 of the order, entitled ‘Climate Change and Migration’, the President ordered the submission of a report within 180 days on climate change and its effect on migration. Specifically, the report should include options for protection and resettlement of individuals displaced directly by climate change, how to identify these migrants, how the US can mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, and how to collaborate with other countries in doing so.

This is a first step in recognizing and addressing the complex situation at the US Southern border. Acknowledging that climate change is directly linked to the displacement of people arriving to the US should be followed by further action, for instance, an expansion of the definition of a ‘refugee’ to include climate migrants, or collaborative work with Central American governments to mitigate the effects of climate change, to which the US is a top contributor.

Undocumented and Essential Workers

It is crucial to humanize immigrants and acknowledge that people are more than a “crisis” that comes in “waves”. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been estimated that 5 million undocumented workers (or 3 in 4 undocumented immigrants in the workforce) are essential workers. They play a critical role the food chain as farmworkers and food processors, and working in health care as food servers and in nursing homes. As a result, a bill to provide permanent residence for over 5 million undocumented essential workers who played a role in the COVID-19 response has been introduced. The House of Representatives also passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to make temporary farm workers eligible to become permanent residents. These are some initial measures that benefit those immigrants who are not just living in, but contributing to American society.

The issues faced by immigrants living in the shadows in the U.S need to be addressed separately from those at the border. Though these issues are intertwined, the reality of the millions that are living undocumented in the US and alienated from the rest of society requires a solution that is geared towards integration. The evidence that undocumented immigrants have contributed to the coronavirus response and economic recovery shows that they consider the US to be their home, and are working alongside their neighbors in the best interest of recovery. We can no longer ignore just how essential undocumented workers are to their communities and the country at large. Holding them hostage in limbo because of an inability to deal with the root causes of migration is inhumane and immoral.

Caroline Miranda Foley is a law student at Western New England, Massachusetts. She has worked in immigration law for the past ten years and is passionate about access to justice, especially in the immigrant community. She has been an immigrant in the United States for over 15 years, and is very tied to the Brazilian and other Latino community where she resides. 

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Intelligence Forecast Warns of a Turbulent Future Upended by Climate Change, Growing Divisions and Pandemics

21 April 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

A report released last week by U.S. intelligence officials predicts that factors such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and growing inequality will lead to further unrest both in the U.S. and across the world. The Global Trends report is released every four years by the National Intelligence Council, and predicts “trends and uncertainties” the U.S. can expect over the next two decades.

The report forecasts that the next 20 years will be increasingly fragmented and turbulent. “Shared global challenges — including climate change, disease, financial crises, and technology disruptions — are likely to manifest more frequently and intensely in almost every region and country,” the report’s authors write. This will produce “widespread strains on states and societies as well as shocks that could be catastrophic.”

Increased rates of climate migration over the next two decades is also predicted in the report. This is a trend which has already been observed, particularly in rural populations which are increasingly migrating to urban settings due to struggles with framing in changing weather and climatic conditions.

In addition, the report also highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of the world order, and has worsened global challenges including exposing disparities in healthcare, increasing inequality and highlighting failed international cooperation.

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Biden Budget Proposes $1.4 Billion For Environmental Justice

19 April 2021 – by Evelyn Workman

U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed $14 billion towards fighting climate change in the 2022 discretionary budget request, in order to help the administration reach their goal to decarbonise the economy by 2050.

$1.4 billion of the budget will go towards environmental justice initiatives – the largest amount ever to be invested in environmental justice in U.S. history. $936 million of the $1.4 billion will go towards the creation of an Acceleration Environmental Justice initiative within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create “good-paying union jobs, clean up pollution, and secure environmental justice for communities that have been left behind.”

Other boosts to environmental justice efforts in the budget include a proposed $400 million for a grant program in the Department of Housing and Urban Development which would help state and local governments reduce lead paint and other health hazards for low-income families. A further $100 million has been proposed towards developing a new community air quality monitoring and notification program to update data in areas with air pollution problems. 

Further reading:

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/biden-budget-seeks-1-4-billion-to-target-environmental-justice

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-biden-budget-climate/update-2-biden-budgets-14-bln-hike-for-climate-includes-big-boosts-for-epa-science-idUSL1N2M21OY

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Climate Migration Threatens to Expand Australian Healthcare Inequities

empty road between brown fields with green trees

15 April 2021 – by Ben St. Laurent

New data published in The Lancet Planetary Health indicates that the acute inequity in healthcare workers throughout the Northern Territory (NT) could become exacerbated by climate change as doctors in the region relocate to cooler climates. Contrasting the situation of refugees forced from their homes due to increasing environmental disasters and receding coastlines, the reality is that those who have financial and social capital are also relocating to more temperate areas.

The study surveyed 362 medical professionals in Australia’s NT in November 2020 (representing over 25% of the workforce) and determined that over one third of respondents are already considering leaving the NT (15%) due to climate change, or would be likely to consider leaving in the future (19%). Rising temperatures and drier weather are becoming more severe in the NT and are contributing to increased heat related illness and death in a healthcare system that is already understaffed and overburdened. Among doctors who responded to the survey, 85% agree that climate change is currently causing, or is likely to cause negative effects on the health of their patients. 75% percent agree that parts of the NT are becoming or will likely become uninhabitable due to climate change.

Australia’s NT is the third largest territory by land mass but also the least populated and most remote region according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the population is in decline. Approximately 30% of the 245,929 Australians who lived in the NT in 2019 are indigenous, compared to 3.3% nationally. Despite its high level of development, disparities in Australia remain wide. This recent report recognises that and a decline in the number of healthcare workers would further exacerbate inequities and put remote and indigenous communities at risk.

The authors of this study have called for a “National Plan for Health and Climate Change” to address the relationship between climate change and health. They recommend that “Health-care workforce supply should be considered in climate-related health risk assessments and adaptation strategies, and climate-related concerns should feature in the national health workforce strategy” (Pendrey et al, e184).

Sources

Pendrey, C., Quilty, S., Gruen, R., Weeramanthri, T. and Lucas, R., 2021. Is climate change exacerbating health-care workforce shortages for underserved populations?. The Lancet Planetary Health, [online] 5(4). Available at: <https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00028-0> [Accessed 14 April 2021].

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Africa’s Leaders Hold COVID-Climate Emergency Summit

14 April 2021 – by Atoosa Gitiforoz

A virtual Climate Emergency Summit, held on the 6th April ’21, hosted by the African Development Bank and Global Centre on Adaptation, saw representatives discuss the challenges of COVID-19 alongside climate change across Africa.

Africa’s leaders called for a scaling-up of finances to combat the effects of climate change across the continent, warning that the COVID-19 crisis has halted climate adaptation efforts.

Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba, said: “Every day the thunderstorms seem more violent. Flooding is more frequent and droughts are more severe,” he said. “Crops are failing. People are being forced to flee their homes (and) becoming climate refugees.”

The summit heard that adaptation and resilience finance accounts for only 20 per cent of total climate finance flows. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged G7 members, developed nations and Multilateral and National Development Banks to increase their allocation of climate finance for adaptation and resilience to a minimum of 50 per cent.

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), pointed out that “Just 3% of international climate finance is reaching the continent“, arguing that developed nations have a responsibility to support Africa, given that despite the continent being the lowest emitter of carbon, it faces some of the worst consequences of climate change.

Whilst various climate adaptation efforts by countries across Africa and the AfDB have gone a long way to protect lives and livelihoods (such as green job initiatives, heat-tolerant wheat farms and large-scale land restorations), much more needs to be done through climate adaptation and resilience initiatives to support nations subject to sea level rise, coastal erosion and other climate change related effects.