Tue Nov 12 08:26:21 UTC 2024: ## Climate Change Fueling Record Displacement, Exacerbating Refugee Crisis: UN
**Geneva, November 12, 2024:** The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has issued a stark warning about the impact of climate change on global displacement, highlighting the dire need for increased investment in climate adaptation measures.
A new report released on Tuesday at the COP29 climate summit in Baku underscores how climate shocks, such as droughts, floods, and extreme heat, are pushing millions from their homes, particularly in countries already grappling with conflict and poverty.
“Across our warming world, drought, floods, life-threatening heat and other extreme weather events are creating emergencies with alarming frequency,” stated UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi in the report’s foreword. “People forced to flee their homes are on the front lines of this crisis.”
The report highlights that 75% of displaced people reside in countries highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards, and this figure is expected to rise as climate change intensifies. Furthermore, the report cites data showing that weather-related disasters displaced approximately 220 million people within their own countries over the last decade – an average of 60,000 displacements per day.
UNHCR Special Advisor on Climate Action, Andrew Harper, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We’re just seeing more and more people being displaced… a hellish situation become even tougher.”
The agency warns that by 2040, the number of countries facing extreme climate-related hazards is projected to increase from three to 65, with the majority hosting displaced populations. Additionally, by 2050, most refugee settlements and camps are expected to experience double the number of dangerously hot days, posing health risks and threatening food security.
Harper highlighted the increasing loss of arable land in climate-vulnerable regions, leading to food shortages and further displacement.
UNHCR calls on global leaders to significantly increase climate financing for refugees and host communities, noting that currently, extremely fragile states receive only $2 per person in annual adaptation funding, compared to $161 per person in non-fragile states.
“Without more investment in building climate resilience and adaptation in such communities, more displacement towards countries less impacted by climate change will be inevitable,” Harper warned. “If we don’t invest in peace, if we don’t invest in climate adaptation in these areas, then people will move.”
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