AMMAN — As climate change is reshaping lives and the ground
beneath our feet, the world is heralding the age of climate migration. The
World Bank’s updated Groundswell report stated that climate change could force
216 million people across six world regions to move within their countries by
2050. In the face of accelerating climate challenges, there is no doubt that
collaboration and proactive measures are vital. There is a pressing need for
cohesive action to foster resilience and safeguard the vulnerable.
اضافة اعلان
What causes climate
migration
President of the Jordan Environment Union (JEU), Omar
Shoshan, said climate migration is mainly due to natural disasters such as
floods, tornadoes…etc. in addition to extreme drought and desertification, as
well as rising sea levels.
Shoshan also noted that the countries that are most at risk
for producing large numbers of climate refugees are economically weak
countries, less developed countries, and countries with political and security
conflicts.
"Some countries will witness seasonal climate
migration, meaning residents of a particular country with extreme weather
conditions (extremely high temperatures, for example) will move to live in a
country with a better climate for a specific period of the year, as people from
the Gulf go live in other countries during summer due to the harsh weather in
their own countries,” Shoshan explained.
Worsening problem
The Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty
on climate change, does acknowledge the importance of addressing the impacts of
climate change on displacement and the need for actions to support and protect
vulnerable populations, including those who may be displaced due to
climate-induced factors, said Raya Taher, climate justice project manager at
Oxfam Jordan.
“There is no universally agreed-upon legal definition for
climate refugees under international law, and protection offered to individuals
who are displaced by climate change vary from one country to another,” Taher
explained. According to IOM’s Glossary on Migration, climate migration is a
subcategory of environmental migration; in which the change in the environment
is due to climate change.
Climate-induced disasters will most likely increase the
number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) inside countries. Challenges
exacerbated by climate change, lead to inequality in accessing recourses
(technical, institutional, and financial), which is especially faced by
vulnerable groups i.e. people in the informal sector, women, young people,
persons with disabilities, refugees… etc., Taher added.
Common causes
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
(IDMC) the countries with the highest number of internally displaced people
from disasters in 2022 are Pakistan, the Philippines, China, India, and
Nigeria. Of those, 98 percent are caused by weather-related disasters.
“Desertification, drought, and decreasing precipitation
levels will affect specific communities, especially those directly relying on
natural resources for their livelihood. In Jordan, many of these communities
can become more at risk for loss of livelihood as natural resources around them
are affected by climate change, which potentially causes internal displacement
and migration to nearby countries,” Taher said.
Jordan’s
desertification
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment Mohammad
Khashashneh stated that the conditions and natural resources available in
Jordan, such as semi-arid lands, in addition to water scarcity, may cause an
increase in the movement of citizens from governorates to city centers, as a
result of the deterioration of sources of livelihood such as agriculture, which
will increase overcrowding and pressure on cities, therefore increasing the
carbon footprint of those cities as well.
“Desertification leads to the loss of agricultural land and
more deterioration in water resources, thus forcing people dependent on
agriculture and grazing in these areas to leave their homes and move to other
places for better and more sustainable life conditions. In addition to the
harsh weather conditions, which include severe storms, floods, and severe
drought, which destroys infrastructure and agricultural crops,” Khashashneh
explained.
Climate/Refugee Nexus
Initiative
During COP27 in 2022, His Majesty King Abdullah stated, “The
UN has recognized that global refugees and their hosts are among the most
vulnerable to climate change. To address this crisis, Jordan has put forward a
Climate/Refugee Nexus Initiative. It will prioritize support for host countries
that bear the brunt of climate change.”
“Efforts to mobilize support from different countries for
this initiative have been ongoing since COP27 and it will be promoted during
the upcoming COP28 to continue to mobilize support and publicize its
objectives,” Khashashneh said.
According to Kashashneh, under the initiative, participating
countries will commit to collaboratively work on mobilizing technical and
financial support for the most affected host countries to enhance adaptation
and resilience. They also pledge to undertake comprehensive local measures to
mobilize national resources to achieve this goal and to engage stakeholders
wherever possible to contribute to projects that address climate and
development objectives in the context of ongoing conflict and forced displacement.
According to Shoshan, “The initiative requires consistent
monitoring, and there must be a political and diplomatic framework and efforts
for the initiative from the Jordanian government, other governments, and the
International Community as well," he said.
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