Roughly three-quarters of displaced people worldwide live in countries facing severe natural hazards linked to climate change, the United Nations said on Friday, November 6, calling for urgent international action to protect these highly vulnerable groups.
A new report by the UN refugee agency said nearly 90 million refugees and forcibly displaced people face extremely serious risks from global warming. Forced to flee armed conflict, war or economic crises they did not create, they now find themselves on the front line of a climate crisis to which they have contributed almost nothing.
Extreme heatwaves are also becoming a serious threat. The report warned that, by 2050, one-third of refugee settlements across sub-Saharan Africa could experience 100 or more days of dangerous heat each year.
Over the past decade, natural disasters have triggered more than 255 million displacement movements worldwide, equivalent to roughly 70,000 a day. The El Niño weather phenomenon occurring this year is expected to cause further displacement. By: Rithy
