Climate change is one of the biggest problems our world faces. From making our planet warmer to rising sea levels, there are numerous problems that are a result of climate change. However, one that is not talked about as much is climate refugees. Refugees are people who have been displaced due to their homes becoming unsafe. Climate refugees are people displaced or affected by climate change-caused natural disasters. In recent years, cases like this have only grown as climate change becomes a bigger problem. And they will continue to grow, harming more and more people unless something is done.

As climate change escalates, its capacity to cause natural disasters only grows. These natural disasters can be wildfires, rising sea levels, and more. When greenhouse gasses are emitted, our planet warms up due to a process known as global warming. This causes higher temperatures. In turn, these higher temperatures can cause hotter summers and dryer environments in many places.

The Los Angeles Fires

The Los Angeles fires that took place at the beginning of 2025 is a good example to showcase a case of climate refugees. While the fires were caused by several factors, a big reason has been proven to correlate with climate change. During the time of the fires, LA was unusually dry and hot, when in the past it was typically the rainy season at that time. The arid conditions have been proven to be connected to global warming, which caused the lack of rainfall. These conditions created ideal conditions for fires, leading to the disastrous fires that affected the lives of numerous LA residents. According to this quote from NBC News, ”More than 18,000 structures were destroyed or damaged and roughly tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes.”. At least 29 people were killed. And thousands more were displaced, their houses destroyed. These people became climate refugees, affected by climate change caused by natural disasters.

The South Asia Floods

Another case involving climate refugees are the South Asia floods, which occurred in 2024. Multiple countries in South Asia were beset with intense flooding during monsoon season. While flooding and heavy rainfall are not uncommon during the monsoon season, their intensity has increased due to climate change. Due to global warming, the heat causes water from bodies of water to evaporate, leading to heavier precipitation. This in turn causes more rainfall in certain places. In recent years as climate change has gotten worse, monsoon seasons have become more intense and dangerous. These floods affected millions of people, displacing them and making them refugees. As these floods intensify, many countries situated close to sea level are at risk of going partially or fully underwater in the future. As sea levels rise rapidly, millions and millions of people living in countries facing this risk are in danger of losing their homes. For instance, Bangladesh faces the threat of about 17% of the country going underwater by 2050 due to rising sea levels. This can potentially displace 20 million people. And that’s only one example of a country facing this risk. Several places around the world are facing the same risk, some with more time than others.

The Problem

The number of climate refugees is expected to increase by 2050. This adds to the already volatile refugee crisis multiple countries are facing due to other factors. Climate refugees face many obstacles in terms of recovery. A lack of legal protection is a big one. While refugees usually gain protection under international law, climate refugees don’t fit into the traditional definition of a refugee. Typically refugees are people fleeing from their country due to political reasons or a conflict. Climate refugees are displaced due to environmental factors. This prevents them from being qualified for assistance which is usually given to refugees. This lack of legal protection is because climate refugees, even the term, is not yet recognized internationally. Climate refugees don’t fall under the definition of refugees, which was defined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, where legal protection, rights, and assistance were outlined for refugees. This makes it difficult for climate refugees in particular to get the help they need. Additionally, it may be hard to discern whether or not someone is a climate refugee as it can be difficult to link natural disasters to climate change. While steps were taken, such as the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees. The agreement states, according to Georgetown University, “…UN has recently adopted non-binding international agreements examining climate change and migration…”. While this may help, the non-binding aspect leaves no repercussions for countries that do not abide by the agreement. Additionally, it lacks detail and firm solutions. All of these circumstances make it harder for climate refugees to get the assistance they need.

What Can be Done?

What is required is a binding agreement that requires countries to assist climate refugees and give them proper rights to get the help they need. As climate change is getting worse and higher numbers of climate refugees are expected to be at risk in the coming years, the lack of a legal framework will cause more problems unless addressed quickly.

Our Next Steps

Climate refugees are often overlooked, however as climate change is an ever-growing problem in our world, it will only get worse unless preventive measures are taken. This involves reducing climate change to prevent future climate refugees and helping the ones already displaced. Spreading awareness is also key. As more and more people are fleeing their homes, it is crucial to provide help and take steps to prevent cases like these occurring in the first place. By advocating for implementing legal policies regarding climate refugees and taking notice of our carbon footprint, we can ensure the number of potential and current climate refugees decreases.