Climate change is an increasingly potent driver of migration that compels millions of people to leave their homes every year and requires decisive actions by States, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales, said today in a report presented to the General Assembly in New York.
“Every year, as millions of people are displaced in the context of sudden-onset disasters, the livelihoods of millions more are affected by slow-onset environmental change and degradation,” said González Morales. “Many are compelled to leave their countries of origin, while others remain trapped in at-risk areas,” he said.
While the Special Rapporteur’s report praises several promising practices by States in different regions, it highlights the lack of consistent policies to address the impact of climate change on human mobility.
“States should ensure that they respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all migrants in the design and implementation of climate change-related migration policies,” the expert said.
He said climate change puts an aggravated burden on marginalised individuals and groups, including women and girls, children, indigenous peoples, minorities, persons with disabilities and older persons.
The report also focuses on national laws and policies indirectly linked to migrants’ admission and their rights to stay in place. “While I take note of some progress, in the absence of explicit recognition of climate change-related challenges and migrants’ protection needs, the latter is not guaranteed,” said González Morales.
“I am concerned by the lack of pathways for regular migration, especially for climate change-related migrants, putting them at risk,” the Special Rapporteur said. “States should apply international human rights law and refugee law where there is a need for international protection when migration occurs in the context of climate change,” he said.
