VOICES OF CLIMATE COLLAPSE
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Displaced in the Khyber Pakhtunkwa District of Pakistan in September 2022, speaking to NGO Alight Pakistan, Fatima Bibi asks, now that everything has been devastated by the floods, where should she go? Who is responsible for the devastation that has killed over 1500 people, impacted over 33 million people - 1 in 7 Pakistanis - and who will provide both the answers and take responsibility for the Loss and Damage devastation and displacement that scientists say was driven by climate change?
Head to this Spotlight for more on Pakistan's flood displacement:
Climate Displacement in Somalia - Christophe Hodder, the first United Nations Climate Security and Environmental Advisor to Somalia, where he works to implement its mandate on environment and security. Here he tells Climate Refugees' Amali Tower that although a complex-issue, today, human displacement in Somalia is increasingly driven, at times, by climate change.
Drought & Floods Drive Climate Displacement in Somalia - Displacement and migration are driven by multiple factors and is not easily understandable, but with over 750,000 Somalis displaced by April 2022 alone, Chris Hodder explains how climate is increasingly driving displacement in Somalia.
Odisha, India: Local Residents Suffer Climate Injustice - India's humidity normally rises before temperatures recede in the buildup to June's monsoons. But in the summer of 2022 in the Indian state of Odisha, in many places, temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius. With an accompanying rise in humidity, the wet bulb temperature was above human habitability. Nivedita Biswal spoke to several local residents suffering through Odisha's heatwave with few options for relief.
Lake Chad Basin Loss & Damage - Millions of lives have been upended by both climate change and conflict in the Lake Chad Basin. Regardless of the possible cessation of conflict, populations have already sustained lifelong losses and damages. Lake Chad has receded to an extent where livelihood loss is almost permanent. Lake renewal is only possible if seasonal rains and optimal temperatures arrive when expected and are sustained over a long period. This has not happened in decades and we now know that global warming and climate change are unlikely to allow that to return.
At the same time, the significant underdevelopment of the population in this region renders them unable to adapt to new vocations. Cultural loss is significant and violates Indigenous, economic, social and cultural rights, while food insecurity is endemic.
Repeat wildfires, Repeat Displacements: Hear Massimo describe how frequent and intensifying climate change impacts are affecting residents unequally, his own health, and how soon, not even those who can afford the financial costs now will be able to bear it.
Livelihood Loss, Displacement, Women’s Protection & Empowerment - Conflict and climate has already driven many women from their homes in the Lake Chad Basin. Adapting to life in a refugee camp and a changing climate, where the Sahel is warming 1.5 times faster than anywhere else in the world is hard, even with humanitarian support. Hear this refugee woman explain why what is most needed is investment in women's livelihoods and business development, especially in contexts where such livelihoods ensure sustenance for entire families.
Glacial Melt, Water Scarcity, Rural-Urban Migration: Matt Raulerson speaks to local communities experiencing climate impacts & displacement in central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, where the World Bank reports important agricultural and pastoral mountainous regions are experiencing greater water scarcity, and could see increased rural-to-urban migration.
Ecological Degradation and Climate Change: Drought Conditions - Extreme water behavior and weather events are increasing. This is due in part to climate change, but we must remain clear that ecological degradation, collapse of hydrological and nutrient cycles are main drivers of localized biodiversity and soil loss that result in drought and flood conditions. We need to understand places and their conditions as a holistic system, with many variables. Many of those we can address locally, helping to repair local ecosystem function.
“To refute the term ‘refugee’ because it doesn’t fit the legal definition is fair. But to advocate use of the term ‘migrant’, a term which has no legal definition whatsoever, and in fact, suggests a voluntary nature, is thoroughly perplexing in situations of forced migration.”
