'Six million' to be displaced by climate change |
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The effects of climate change could create up to six million displaced people every year and at least 200 million by the middle of the century, says the UN Deputy Commissioner for Refugees.
'There is no doubt that this presents a huge new challenge for social work and social policy', says IFSW President David N Jones in a comment.
Speaking at the recent UN environment summit in Poznan, Poland, L Craig Johnstone said the numbers were "staggering", but that these were only a conservative estimate.
Severe storms, flooding and droughts are some of hardships climate experts say the world will have to face in the near future, and that many regions are already facing, and many more are exposed to instability and violence resulting from such conditions.
"You can expect that as you have droughts, as you have scarcity of resources ... it will increase tensions and it will increase conflict," said Mr Johnstone.
He said the world needed to be prepared to cope with the massive increase in people seeking refuge, including increasing pre-positioned stocks of aid in vulnerable areas by up to 20 times.
"Our operating assumption is to cover the minimum ... but we're not anywhere near being able to cover that right now," he said.
"The most important issue is mitigation by reducing greenhouse gases. The second line of action is adaptation to climate change, as promoted by development agencies.
"But if these fail, we need to anticipate the humanitarian response. And this is till missing in the debate."
There were few major advances at the Poznan summit, held in early December.
However, UN member states did agree to give developing countries easier access to money held in the Adaption Fund, which provides funding to help poorer countries protect themselves and their economies against the effects of climate change.
Image: © Louise Roach | Dreamstime.com
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 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
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page last updated on 16.12.2008
