Climate migration is not a choice –its survival

"If a rising ocean swallowed your home tomorrow, where would you go—and would anyone open their doors for you?”- these are the lines from the book ‘The Inhabitable Earth: Life After Warming’ by David Wallace - Wells. This line invokes so much thought in one that we are made to wonder about protecting our nature. The unpredictability of life means that nobody knows what will happen the next moment. Natural disasters like floods, wildfires, droughts or storms could strike us any time without warning, causing widespread destruction. And because this is a very happening issue in today’s world, it's not new to see people fleeing from their homes for safety. 

And yet, many of these people (climate migrants) find no place to go, no status, and no support. While climate change affects everyone, it is the poorest and most vulnerable who suffer first and most—even though they have contributed the least to the problem. Moreover, the reason why developed countries have both a moral and political responsibility to welcome and support climate refugees, because the climate disaster is not their fault.

In Bangladesh, rising sea levels and frequent flooding have forced thousands of families to abandon their ancestral homes and crowd into already overpopulated cities like Dhaka. In the Pacific Islands, nations like Kiribati and Tuvalu are facing the grim reality that their entire countries may disappear under water within a few decades. These climate migrants are not "illegal" or "lazy"—they are survivors of environmental catastrophes that they did not create.  

And it's important to see that migrating is an act of resilience in the face of losing everything—homes, history, culture, and land. Labeling such people as "burdens" or "problems" actually makes one lose the strength it takes to start over. Instead of suspicion, the global community must meet climate migrants with empathy, and policies that support their dignity. Because in most cases, families are often forced to flee with little warning, carrying only what they can in their hands. In countries like Mozambique, where cyclones and floods have devastated entire villages, people have no choice but to see their homes collapse and wash away.

Children are affected the most here. In disaster zones from Pakistan’s floods to Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, countless young people have lost their schools, their friends, and the only communities they ever knew—overnight. Women and children face even deeper vulnerabilities during climate displacement. In refugee camps after environmental disasters—like those in South Sudan and Somalia—rates of violence, hunger, and trafficking often increase sharply, making women easy targets for exploitation. 

Beyond physical survival, the most affected area is the loss of identity — leaving graves of ancestors, traditions, and histories of the family, all of which, just cannot be restarted in another space.This highlights that the damage is not only physical—it is deeply emotional, leaving scars that last a lifetime. To see climate migrants only as "migrants" and not as grieving families, frightened children, and uprooted souls is to deny their humanity. If we truly value compassion, we cannot turn away from the silent emotional disasters unfolding with the natural disasters that hit each area as such. Their pain is not distant—it is a warning of the shared vulnerability we all face in a changing world.

Even with the emotional turmoil, it's important to understand the actual facts that back the argument. Like the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that state that people fleeing danger must be protected with dignity and security. Though originally created for war refugees, these principles apply to those displaced by climate disasters too. Thinking from the perspective of the country, by upholding human rights they strengthen global solidarity, and embrace migrant skills can drive innovation, economic growth, and social renewal in host countries. Hence supporting climate migrants is not just a moral obligation—it is a smart investment in a resilient and diverse future.

While this is true, a country that is stretched too much cannot offer stability and support to anyone, not even to its own people hence maybe not even to those seeking refuge. Despite the crises, the government's primary responsibility should be their own citizens. This is not about lack of humanity, it is the trust between the citizens and government that they won't have to deal with lack of health care, housing, food resources and education. If their own people struggle for the resources then it will be unfair because these people contribute a lot to the country.The global cooperation is needed but it cannot come at the cost of the wellbeing of the citizens of the area.

But being human comes with conscience, which makes it hard to look at a scenario as such with humanity in our minds. Hence what needs to be considered is the actual evidence of how ‘helping’ has sustained in nations.

There are various examples that show that migrants can also strengthen the economy and hence not strain out a country too much. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, many Haitian migrants helped rebuild communities in the U.S. and Canada by working in healthcare, education, and small businesses. Similarly, African climate migrants in Europe have filled labor gaps, boosting sectors like agriculture and care work. 

In the core of all of this, we see that climate change is not just an environmental issue—it is a global crisis that demands collective attention and action. No single country, government, or community can solve it alone. As climate disasters displace millions, destroy livelihoods, and deepen inequality, it becomes clear that the effects of climate change has no borders. Solving it requires sharing of responsibilities as in the ability of wealthier nations to support with resources and policies so that the vulnerable ones out there know there is some place to feel safe in.

References:

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724013494
2. https://devpolicy.org/climate-change-migration-kiribati-tuvalu-nauru-20190215/ 
3. https://cligs.vt.edu/blog/the-migraine-of-migration--the-tiny-island-nation-of-kiribati-st.html
4. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/bangladesh-india-climate-migration
5. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/02/18/bangladeshi-migrants-climate-change-modern-slavery-iied/
6. https://www.iied.org/climate-change-leaving-bangladesh-migrant-workers-vulnerable-modern-slavery
7. https://www.unhcr.org/in/news/stories/climate-change-conflict-and-political-unrest-mozambique-s-triple-crisis-explained
8. https://jilp.law.ucdavis.edu/blog/haiti-climate-displacement-and-international-law
9. https://policytimeschamber.com/climate-refugees-in-india-a-growing-concern-5-million-displaced-in-2021-143-million-at-risk-by-2050-1951-refugee-convention-does-not-recognised-it-as-a-distinct-category-highlighting-the-need-for/
10. www.wikipedia.com
11. https://www.appropedia.org/Climate _refugees