CSIS

A Migrant Caravan From Honduras Highlights the Uncertain Future of Climate Refugees

A Migrant Caravan From Honduras Highlights the Uncertain Future of Climate Refugees

Over the past year, devastating hurricanes, wildfires and other extreme weather events have destroyed homes and displaced people around the world. The International Organization of Migration estimates that by 2050, there will be between 25 million and 1 billion environmental migrants, or climate refugees, globally, with 200 million the most frequent estimate. This issue is further compounded by international refugee law, which does not currently protect climate migrants. In 2018, a task force on displacement gave recommendations for such measures at U.N. climate talks in Katowice, Poland, but these recommendations have yet to be pursued.