Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Rozhin Taghdisi Nezhad ¹
• Kian Biglarbeigi ²
• Amirsaed Vakil ³

¹ Master Student, International Law, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

² Ph.D. Student, International Law, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Public International Law ,Department University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction

Climate change is progressing rapidly, and its associated risks are intensifying. Evidence shows that these hazards can significantly affect lives and livelihoods around the world, often pushing vulnerable individuals, communities, and countries toward their physical and socio-economic adaptation limits. In response, human migration has become a common and long-term strategy to cope with the adverse consequences of climate change and recurring droughts. The term environmental refugee refers to individuals who, due to the impact of climate change, are forced to relocate in order to preserve their livelihoods and ensure survival. According to the International Organization for Migration, environmental refugees are individuals who change their place of residence due to environmental disasters or deteriorating environmental conditions. These displacements can be within or across borders, and either short-term or long-term. It is important to distinguish between the concepts of environmental migrant and environmental refugee, as each carries different connotations. Migrants often choose to relocate in search of better living conditions and are not typically fleeing direct threats to their safety or survival. In contrast, refugees are compelled to flee due to such threats and are unable to return safely to their home regions. Unlike refugees, migrants continue to enjoy the protection of their state of nationality. Given the widespread and growing effects of climate change, migration is expected to become an increasingly critical issue for countries at all income levels, as highlighted in World Development Report (2023). Not only do environmental refugees endanger the fundamental rights of migrants—such as the rights to life, health, housing, security, and access to clean water and food—but their displacement can also lead to cultural and ethnic conflicts, thus posing a risk to global peace and security (Mosaffa & Hosseinzadeh-Hashemi, 2016). Moreover, environmental refugees are often more vulnerable due to factors such as poverty, discrimination, separation from their homeland and families, and lack of access to basic resources necessary for the realization of their fundamental rights and freedoms. This highlights the urgent need for enhanced legal protection for them. In this respect, the current study aimed to explore how the requirements of international law concerning refugee protection in general can be extended to cover environmental refugees.

Literature Review

The literature has addressed the issue of climate change and its associated challenges at both domestic and international levels, including the emerging phenomenon of environmental refugees. For instance, in the article “Legal Protection for Climate Change Refugees,” Mosaffa and Hosseinzadeh-Hashemi (2016) highlighted the need for legal protection of environmental refugees, emphasizing the relevance of international and regional legal documents. Similarly, the article titled “Environmentally-Displaced Persons in International Law: Conceptual Ambiguity and the Need for a Legal Framework” (Modarress-Sabzevary & Ghari Seyed Fatemi, 2019) explored the legal frameworks and challenges surrounding environmental refugees. It offered a conceptual analysis of the term environmental refugee and distinguished between displacement resulting from natural disasters and that caused by climate change. Despite these significant contributions, there remains a gap in the literature: no comprehensive study has yet examined the international community’s commitments to environmental refugees in the form of international legal measures. The present research sought to fill this gap by offering a novel and in-depth examination of international legal norms—both mandatory and non-mandatory—along with governmental actions, the roles of international organizations, and relevant judicial precedents. The objective was to support and clarify the legal rights of environmental refugees within the broader framework of international law.
 
 
 

Materials and Methods

The present study used a library research method to collect the data. Moreover, a descriptive–analytical approach was used to analyze the data. The analysis focused on examining the legal regulations governing climate change, and exploring the protective mechanisms available to environmental refugees under international human rights law. It also investigated relevant mechanisms in international treaties, governmental measures, international organizations, and judicial precedents.

Results and Discussion

The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, and the 2015 Paris Agreement are among the most significant international efforts aimed at addressing and stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees underscore the global community’s recognition of the fundamental rights of refugees. In other words, the international community’s efforts to formulate protective laws through various international conventions on refugee rights and climate change demonstrate that global public opinion has not remained indifferent to the issue of environmental refugees. These efforts reflect a consistent desire to uphold the dignity and fundamental rights of refugees. Although judicial systems have shown some support for environmental refugees—potentially signaling the emergence of customary international norms in their favor—a review of international documents reveals that none of the existing treaties on refugee rights specifically address environmental refugees. This legislative gap underscores the urgent need for the international community to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive and inclusive convention that clearly defines the rights of environmental refugees and ensures that states meet their obligations. Until such a convention is adopted, it is essential that countries—particularly those that are parties to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol, and other relevant human rights instruments—enter into supportive bilateral or multilateral agreements. These agreements, guided by the legal framework of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), can help protect the rights of environmental refugees and facilitate safe, regular, and humane migration through humanitarian aid. It is hoped that the international community will take appropriate measures to address global warming and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change by revisiting the current legal framework for refugees, eliminating existing shortcomings, and establishing effective enforcement guarantees.

Conclusion

It is necessary to develop the existing requirements of international law concerning climate change and refugees. As a first step, efforts should focus on strengthening the foundation of the international responsibility regime for refugees, including the formulation of a comprehensive and precise definition of environmental refugees and a clear articulation of the obligations of both countries of origin and host states through international agreements. Building on existing normative frameworks—particularly the principles established in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees—it is possible either to create a distinct legal system to protect environmental refugees or, at the very least, to extend the scope of human rights protections to encompass their fundamental rights. To achieve this, the legal and supportive mechanisms of international organizations can serve as tools to pressure governments into fulfilling their international commitments.

Keywords

• International Climate Change Law
• Environmental Migration
• Environmental Refuge
• Refugee Rights
• Environment

Main Subjects

• Environmental law