“Climate refugees” are not recognised by international law. Should a new status be created to protect them? Opinions are divided, even as more and more people are forced to flee their homes because of the effects of climate change. In 2009 the Maldivian government held a symbolic underwater meeting to raise global awareness about the existential threat posed by rising sea levels to their low-lying island nation. Images of government ministers, clad in scuba gear and gathered around a table six metres below the surface of the ocean, were beamed around the world. Rising sea levels, drought, floods, landslides, wildfires – climate-induced natural disasters have driven more than 220 million people from their homes in the past ten years, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Those affected often fall between the cracks of international law, and many are left without due legal protection. The 1951 UN Refugee Convention does not recognise ...
