The UNHCR has recognized the role of climate crises in amplifying displacement in its Strategic Plan for Climate Action 2024–2030. However, no legal status has been conferred upon people fleeing the adverse effects of climate change, which would allow governments to be held accountable for failing to provide the requisite protection. This legal vacuum leaves climate migrants defenceless when confronted with expulsion or deportation, as demonstrated in the UN Human Rights Committee's ruling on Teitiota vs New Zealand. We, the undersigned, call for the establishment of a binding legal framework for individuals displaced as a consequence of climate disasters, ensuring their fundamental rights and safety in the face of climate change.

The World Migration Report  estimated 32 million displacements due to climate-related hazards in 2022 alone. While most migrations are internal, cross-border migration is not negligible as many people seek refuge in neighboring countries when internal displacement is unsustainable. In the more vulnerable Global South, large-scale climate-induced disasters are expected to trigger movements across borders especially when internal displacement options have been exhausted. 

However, current international law does not account for climate change-induced displacement and migration. Under the 1951 Refugee Convention, those fleeing persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion are protected. While broadening the framework to include people escaping climate extremes is still up for debate, the introduction of a legal status for climate change-related migrants would ensure protection for vulnerable populations that have no recourse under current legal frameworks.

We do understand the impediments to coming up with a legal framework. But climate-driven displacement is already a reality in plain sight, whether it be historic floods in Europe in the last two decades or desertification in Northern Africa. Climate injustice due to the lack of protective laws directed at such migrants is also evident in the aftermath of Pakistan's 2022 floods, where many still inhabit flood-ravaged areas rife with contamination and diseases. It is essential that the international community takes decisive action to safeguard the lives of those displaced by it. 

We call on the UNHCR to further strengthen its advocacy for the protection of climate-induced migrants by working with world leaders and governments to establish a clearly defined legal status for climate migrants, prioritizing legal protection for those from the most vulnerable regions. This includes:

• Defining climate-driven migrants
• Developing binding legal frameworks for the protection of climate migrants
• Ensuring climate-induced migrants are not left without legal status or protection
• Collaborating with Member States to discuss possible investments in areas projected to see certain benefits from the effects of the changing climate

This petition represents a call to action for the UNHCR and global leaders to address the looming crisis of climate-induced migration with the seriousness and urgency it demands.

Please sign this petition now to help ensure that climate-induced migrants are protected under international law.