Three in Four Displaced People Live in Climate Danger Zones, UN Says
A new UN report warns that nearly 90 million refugees face deadly climate risks — and the problem is getting worse.
Nearly 90 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes because of war, violence, or persecution. A new report from the United Nations says that three out of every four of these displaced people live in countries that face serious dangers from climate change. The report was released on Friday, just days before a major climate summit called COP31 in Turkey. The UN is urging world leaders to take action to protect these vulnerable people.
The UN refugee agency, known as UNHCR, says these displaced people face a 'double injustice.' They were already forced to flee their homes because of conflicts they did not cause. Now they are also dealing with the effects of climate change, even though they have done the least to cause it. A top UNHCR official said this situation is deeply unfair and demands urgent attention from world leaders.
Climate hazards like droughts, floods, and extreme heat are making life even harder for displaced people. These dangers are also making it more difficult for refugees to return home and rebuild their lives. UNHCR found that more than two-thirds of refugees who went back to their home countries in the first half of this year returned to places that are highly at risk from climate hazards. This means that even when people go home, they may not be safe.
Syria is one clear example of these challenges. Nearly four million displaced Syrians have recently returned home, but the situation there remains dangerous. Groundwater supplies are shrinking, and climate shocks are threatening the country's recovery. Last May, flooding along the Euphrates River damaged homes and forced thousands of people to flee once again.
Extreme heat is another growing danger for displaced people around the world. By 2050, the UN warns that one in three refugee camps across sub-Saharan Africa could experience 100 or more days of dangerous heat every single year. That is a huge increase from what those communities face today, and it could make survival extremely difficult without proper shelter and clean water.
Weather-related disasters are also pushing people from their homes inside their own countries. Over the past decade, more than 255 million such internal displacements have happened worldwide. That works out to about 70,000 people being displaced every single day. UNHCR expects this number to grow because of an unusually strong weather pattern called El Niño this year.
Despite all these dangers, wealthy nations are not sending enough money to help. UNHCR says only 10 percent of global climate funding goes to fragile and conflict-affected countries — the very places that are home to large numbers of displaced people. The agency is calling on governments to include refugees in their climate plans and budgets. As Garcia put it: 'We cannot allow those who have already lost so much to be left behind in global climate action.'
"For millions, climate change is not a distant threat. It is destroying shelters, undermining livelihoods and putting their hopes of rebuilding their lives at risk."
Comprehension quiz preview
1. According to the UN report, approximately how many displaced people live in countries highly exposed to climate hazards?
2. What does the word 'displaced' mean in this article?
3. Why does the UN call the situation of displaced people a 'double injustice'?