Climate change is clearly one of the largest challenges facing our planet in the 21st century and things that we depend upon and value, such as water, energy, agriculture, ecosystems, or human health are experiencing the effects of a changing climate.
In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted that the greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration—with millions of people displaced by shoreline erosion, coastal flooding and agricultural disruption.1 Nowadays, various reports are confirming the climate change as a major driver of population displacement. According to International Displacement Monitoring Centre, weather-related hazards triggered in 2017 the vast majority of the new displacements, mostly in the East and South Asia, America and the Pacific area. But unfortunately, just as the phenomenon of climate change was ignored for many years despite of the experts’ warnings, the migration due to environmental degradation is also still not recognized as a fundamental human right issue and people displaced by climate don’t have refugee status.
How can we fight against the ignorance of this increasing crisis? How we can use existing legal frameworks to ensure protection to the displaced persons?
These are ones among many other questions you will be facing during your preparation and debates. Together, dear delegates, you will try to tackle the issue as effectively as possible and bring a suitable solution. I´m looking forward to your great work and inspiring ideas.
1 Lonergan, S., 1998, “The role of environmental degradation in population displacement”, Environmental Change and Security Project Report, Issue 4 (Spring 1998): 5.
