Who takes responsibility for the climate refugees?

Abstract

Purpose -"No climate change, no climate refugees". On the basis of this theme, this paper aims to propose a method for undertaking the responsibility for climate refugees literally uprooted by liable climate polluting countries. It also considers the historical past, culture, geopolitics, imposed wars, economic oppression and fragile governance to understand the holistic scenario of vulnerability to climate change.Design/methodology/approach -This paper is organized around three distinct aspects of dealing with extreme climatic eventsvulnerability as part of making the preparedness and response process fragile (past), climate change as a hazard driver (present) and rehabilitating the climate refugees (future). Bangladesh is used as an example that represents a top victim country to climatic extreme events from many countries with similar baseline characteristics. The top 20 countries accounting for approximately 82 per cent of the total global carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are considered for model development by analysing the parametersper capita CO 2 emissions, ecological footprint, gross national income and human development index.Findings -Results suggest that under present circumstances, Australia and the USA each should take responsibility of 10 per cent each of the overall global share of climate refugees, followed by Canada and Saudi Arabia (9 per cent each), South Korea (7 per cent) and Russia, Germany and Japan (6 per cent each). As there is no international convention for protecting climate refugees yet, the victims either end up in detention camps or are refused shelter in safer places or countries. There is a dire need to address the climate refugee crisis as these people face greater political risks.Originality/value -This paper provides a critical overview of accommodating the climate refugees (those who have no means for bouncing back) by the liable countries. It proposes an innovative method by considering the status of climate pollution, resource consumption, economy and human development rankings to address the problem by bringing humanitarian justice to the ultimate climate refugees.

Imaginary Numbers of Climate Change Migrants?

“…For instance, Ahmed (2018) starts with the assumption that climate change will force people to move within or from Bangladesh, without providing evidence of cause and effect. Specific examples given in Ahmed (2018) to demonstrate "climate refugees" are all weather-related disasters without demonstrating links to climate change by either definition. Other reasons for Bangladeshis migrating, post-disaster and irrespective of disasters, are given short shrift.…”

“…Political jurisdictions and their boundaries change, including international borders, adding further complications to categorizing spatial movement. Bangladesh is often cited as being a country at high risk of producing "climate refugees" (Ahmed 2018). The country gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, which followed the 1948 partition creating India and Pakistan as separate, sovereign states.…”

The Field Of Ecology As A Complex Of Statuses And Subjective Positions

“…All the statuses mentioned above can be called environmental only conventionally, because individuals become involved in an environmental situation predominantly as holders of residential, political or professional statuses (Methmann & Oels, 2015;Rechkemmer et al, 2016;Bayes 2018). For these statutes to become environmental, it is required of the people comprising a wider social environment to adopt a certain attitude towards the rights and obligations of the status holders, and this environment should not be limited to the professional, political or economical framework.…”

Reshaping Our World: The Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Climate Change-Induced Migration

“…The "right" opportunities could include lowering regulatory barriers to refugees participating in formal markets, greater access to education, and increased access to start-up capital for business development, all to decrease dependency on the state (Betts et al 2016). Much of the existing literature notes that if opportunities instead of restrictions are provided, refugees are capable of contributing to and benefiting the local economies (Ahmed 2018;Fornale & Doebbler 2017). Unfortunately, Uganda's Self-Reliance Strategy is a unique success (Betts et al 2016).…”

“…It is argued that wealthy countries have an obligation to poor countries as a consequence of the "cumulative burden" of climate change (Byravan & Rajan 2015). Some studies quantitatively analyze annual greenhouse gas emissions and assign a percentage of the cost to specific countries (Ahmed 2018). Aforementioned, those who will engage in CIM do so due to lack of adaptive capacity, such as loss of livelihood or access to resources, which indicates that most migration will not be long-distance as it requires a level of economic capital many do not possess (Jerneck & Olsson 2010).…”