Lima, Ekuatorial – Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) data, an institution under Norwegian Refugee Council, predicted 144 million of people globally have been forced to move out due to disasters related to climate change impacts between 2008-12. Most of those forced displacements were caused by typhoon, storm, flood, erosion, and drought.
Lead scientist of United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Koko Warner, “Climate has become force major for people to move out from their lands and homes and it has happened and will continue to happen, starting from island nations in Pacific to Horns of Africa,” said Warner.
UNU-EHS assessment toward national adaptation programs done in 39 countries in Africa, Asia, and island countries in Pacific Ocean, concluded that main reason for force displacement was habitat and livelihood loss especially in coastal areas due to sea level rise, erosion, and beach abrasion, also flood impact to agriculture.
Warner asked government around the world to prepare national adaptation plan to anticipate force displacement because of climate change impacts. “Humans are bound to move, now it is up to each nations to integrated human movement into their adaptation plan,” she said during COP 20, Lima Climate Conference, in Lima Peru, Tuesday (9/12).
She said that national adaptation plan must include basic issues related to human movement, which are migration, displacement, and planned relocation.
Based on UNU-EHS data, each nations have different needs from other countries in anticipating the displacement issue. For instance, Kiribati Republic of Pacific Ocean has trained its citizens with skills to be able to compete globally if they were forced to move because of sea level rise or erosion.
However, some of residents of Horn of Africa, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Yaman, and Egypt, who were displaced because of drought entered without official documents and money. As a result, they were considered as illegal immigrants and did not receive refugee status, were not able to fulfill their daily needs leading to worst conditions compare to before.
Marine Franck of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee), said that a group of people moved because of climate change impacts then “Existing risks are not just about their safety but human rights fulfillment,” said Franck.
A solution is needed to solve issues on livelihood, safety and their self-esteem. Franck also asked for participants of COP20 to immediately establish national adaptation strategy by including human mobility aspect, either for arrival countries or immigrating countries. IGG Maha Adi (Lima, Peru)
Read also :
DNPI : Adaptation urgent to tackle climate change related natural disasters