The planet's first legal think tank dedicated to climate migrants
Category: ‘Faces’
We are currently in the process of collecting individual stories about people who have been directly affected by climate change and those with the means to help. After our official launch, you will find their testimonies here.
13 November 2023 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Freya Mutimer
In this interview, correspondent Freya Mutimer and Fionn Ferreira from Ireland talk about his experiences as a young inventor, chemistry student and climate activist. They discuss the terrible consequences of micro-plastic pollution and the innovative ways that he proposes to solve this crisis. Fionn also expresses his passion for encouraging young inventors as a way to fight the climate crisis.
“I wanted to find out, how much plastic is there? Do we have a lot of microplastics in our environment? And when I started looking into this, I realized that there is a lot of plastic in the waters and somebody has to do something about it. That’s why I thought: Well, what if I just do something?”
23 June 2023 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Freya Mutimer
In this enlightening interview, Perk Pomeyie (@perk_gh) shares his invaluable insights as a key figure in the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement – a youth-led environmental policy advocacy and non-violent campaign group in Ghana. Perk reflects on his firsthand experiences witnessing the devastating impacts of climate change on his homeland. He also offers his perspective on how governments can step up their efforts to address this pressing issue, as well as his personal journey of becoming an environmental activist.
02 August 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Samantha Chinyoka
In this interview, correspondent Samantha Chinyoka was speaking with Nyasha Turuza from Zimbabwe. Nyasha is a Researcher in Climate Change who holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies.She has contributed to key research whilst working with the Environment Management, Renewable Energy and Climate Change (EMRECC) Research Center at the Harare Institute of Technology, Zimbabwe, and has also collaborated with Africa Rise Foundation on addressing the Sustainable Development Goals. At present she volunteers for Advocates4Earth, an organization that works on environmental and climate justice issues.
During the conversation, Nyasha shares her experiences and real testimonies of women and girls living in Zimbabwe that have been most affected by the impact of the brunt of climate change. She highlights the need to well-educate and conscientize the communities on climate change, especially those whose views on climate change are centered on their traditional beliefs.
“In the child-headed families the elderly girls end up working as sex workers just to provide for their younger siblings due to food poverty in the drought seasons.”
01 July 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Ole ter Wey
In this interview, correspondent Ole ter Wey speaks with Lauren Grant, director of field research at Earth Refuge. Together they discussed the world’s first international school on climate migration, which was founded and is run by Lauren. In the first half of the interview, Lauren talks about how her desire to start an academic space like the school came about, and how that idea eventually became a reality. Then, in the second half of the interview, Ole and Lauren elaborate on the substantive focus of the five-week summer school. They provide an overview of each session, which focused on the causes of forced climate migration, the different vulnerabilities and strengths of different social groups that are forced to migrate, and legal protections for climate migrants, among other topics.
“There is such a limited space to address climate migration at an academic level. From the very beginning I felt quite isolated, educating myself about it on my own. […] But when I found that there was an interest in climate migration im more people than myself, it was clear to me that there was not really a shortage of interest [but of academic space for discussion]. So this led me to the idea to establish something like a research center on the topic.”
17 June 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Polly Nash
In this interview, correspondent Polly Nash speaks to Aimee-Noel Mbiyozo, a senior researcher specialising in human migration at the institute of security studies in Pretoria. The pair discusses the concept of involuntary immobility, which occurs when people wish to migrate but are not able to do so. Mbiyozo recommends how Earth Refuge and lay people globally can shine a light on this overlooked issue and talks of the challenges of advocating for greater protection for climate refugees.
“One of the biggest outcomes that we don’t talk about very much is involuntary immobility … there are people who aren’t going to be able to move even if they want to and that poses really big humanitarian development threats.”
20 May 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Ye-Eun Kim
In this interview, correspondent Ye-Eun Kim is speaking with Jihyuk Oh from South Korea about civil disobedience as a non-violent means to fight the climate crisis. Together, they explore the question of why South Korean youth are both victims and perpetrators of climate change. On the one hand, their age makes it very likely that the impacts of climate change will affect their future. On the other hand, because of where they live, they are part of an extractory society that continues to damage the climate.
Over the course of the interview, Jihyuk shares how his organization ‘Youth Climate Emergency Action’ is addressing this dilemma by using civil disobedience to kick off a “new type of transition into a livable and a greener society”. By using many vivid examples, he explains the power of this non-violent means as well as the challenges his organization faces.
“We’re trying to expose how the legal system itself does not actually protect us the people, but protects the private companies more, and that the legal system already has failed us. These companies haven’t been taken responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions nor for their pollutions.”
Youth Climate Emergency Action (YCEA) is a nonviolent direct action group against the climate crisis. In order to realize climate justice among countries, regions, classes, generations, genders, and species, YCEA is demanding drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the government and businesses. Their mission is to ensure the rights of those who are facing this crisis right now, let alone the next generation that is to come in decades.
06 May 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Skand Agarwal
In this interview, correspondent Skand Agarwal talks to Ruth Dzokoto about the impacts of climate change in Ghana. Drawing on her very personal experiences with climate change-induced natural disasters and even climate migration, Ruth shares her story as a climate educator. Along the way, Ruth also addresses the fact that climate migration is a highly gendered issue, which can even lead to child marriage and child pregnancy.
Together, they explore the challenges that climate educators face even in areas that are severely impacted by climate change themselves. Based on this conversation, Ruth outlines demands for the international community to support her incredible work.
“Currently, as I am talking to you, my mom, my dad and my siblings are no more where they used to be. They had to migrate to different locations because the sea had taken over their home. It is making them migrate to different settlements where they don’t even know anything about the place. Some young ladies and girls have to end up settling at places where they are going to be with men just because they need a roof over their head. This, I think, is the major cause of teenage pregnancy or unwanted pregnancy in the community.”
22 April 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Samantha Chinyoka
In this interview, correspondent Samantha Chinyoka speaks with Carlos Mugumira from Zimbabwe. Carlos shares his experiences as a survivor of the horrendous Cyclone Idai that hit Zimbabwe in 2019. The UN reported 602 deaths with many more people still missing. By the time, Carlos was working on electrical installations in the Chimanimani area, which was greatly affected by the cyclone. He narrates how events unfolded, the impact the cyclone had on his life, and the lessons learnt from this extreme weather event.
In conclusion to sharing his personal experiences, Carlos highlights the need for intersectoral cooperation to better prepare for such events, to well-educate and conscientize the communities on climate change, and the need for government action for climate adaptation and resilience.
“The warnings did not fully explain the intensity and danger of the cyclon. The government needs to spread information and raise awareness on climate change, especially in rural areas were not many people are educated. They need to engage and collaborate with those who study weather patterns for accurate information on the potential dangers and put more stringent measures to evacuate people before such tragic events occur.”
Carlos Mugumira is a qualified Class 1 Electrician who holds a National Certificate in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics. His full time job mainly involves solar power system installations and maintenance. He is also a part time small-scale farmer.
08 April 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Ole ter Wey
In this interview, correspondent Ole ter Wey speaks with Alicia Wallace from The Bahamas. Alicia is the director of Equality Bahamas, Steering Committee Member of Feminist Alliance for Rights, and also a self-described Queer Black Feminist. Together they discuss the devastating impact of constantly recurring hurricanes on the land, people and economy of The Bahamas, as well as discuss necessary policy intervention points.
The interview focuses on the intersectionality of climate change. Using many practical and real-world examples from her own experiences, Alicia brings this abstract academic construct to life and shows how climate change is hitting already marginalized groups particularly hard. Concrete policy recommendations are then derived from these insights.
“The climate crisis is affecting people in different ways. It’s never just about ‘those people’, we’re not a homogenous group. You have women, you have young people, you have aýoung women, you have people with disabilities, you have young people with disabilities. There are all these layers to who we are [and that shape appropriate policies].”
Alicia Wallace is a queer Black feminist, gender expert, and research consultant. She is the Director of Equality Bahamas which promotes women’s and LGBTQ+ rights as human rights through public education, community programming, and advocacy.
She is passionate about social justice work and using creativity as a tool. She is skilled in creating safe spaces for critical dialogue and passionate about activating imagination, collective visioning, and creating feminist futures.
Alicia is an Advisor and the Online Education Coordinator at Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, former Regional Coordinator at FRIDA the Young Feminist Fund, and a steering committee member of Feminist Alliance for Rights (FAR). She has a weekly column on social and political issues in the Bahamian daily newspaper The Tribune and has published academic papers. She enjoys reading, cycling, baking, having dessert, and talking to everyone and no one at the same time on Twitter as @_AliciaAudrey.
25 March 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Polly Nash
In this interview, correspondent Polly Nash talks to Marinel Ubaldo about her first-hand experience of Super Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines in 2013 and devastated Marinel’s community and family home. The pair discuss Marinel’s subsequent climate activism and the vital need for people from the Global North to pass on the microphone to those from the Global South who are most severely impacted by climate related disasters.
“I felt like I couldn’t live in my house anymore … even just hearing the waves crashing nearby gave me trauma, gave me chills.”
“If our government were really serious about keeping people safe they should have relocated people living on the shore, because after Super Typhoon Haiyan we’re still facing the same risks and the same hazards”
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