This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Australia and other nations should amend laws and practices to address the needs of millions of people expected to move because of climate-related hazards, according to a new report by the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The report warns that extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, storms and cyclones could suddenly create millions of new cases of statelessness.
Slower processes, such as rising sea levels and temperatures, loss of wildlife and the creation of new deserts, could do the same. "Climate change is reshaping every aspect of human life, and we know it will put millions at risk of becoming 'stateless'—that is, of not having a formal nationality to protect them—because they have been forced to move across national borders to survive," says lead author Radha Govil. "Perhaps they have lost their identity papers; perhaps they have been left in limbo because of gaps in laws that fail to protect their rights to nationality.
"Stateless people are often denied basic rights such as health care, education, the right to marry or freedom of movement. "We need to support the concept of 'continuity of statehood'—for small island states that risk complete submersion, we need to confirm that they are still states, even as they lose the land on which their populations have previously lived." Since 2015, about 27 million people a year have been displaced by weather-related events, and climate change is expected to push that number higher in coming years. Many of these people would be at risk of statelessness.
The report, Global Recommendations on Nationality and Statelessness in the Context of Climate Change, was written by Govil, an associate professor at the Peter McMullin Centre at Melbourne Law School, with UNHCR's Anne Laakko and Michelle Yonetani. "These recommendations are based on existing principles of international law and are aimed at preventing new cases of statelessness, reducing existing statelessness, and protecting those whose rights are at risk because of climate change," Govil says. "The underlying principles include equality and non-discrimination, the right to life with dignity, the duty of international cooperation and the right to participate.
"We need to start thinking now about legal changes and practical measures that states must take to reduce and prevent climate change-related statelessness." Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile → Master's in physics with research experience.
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