UNHCR warns displaced people face climate hazards ahead of COP31 in Turkey
The United Nations refugee agency has warned that nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people are living in countries highly exposed to climate hazards. The warning comes days before the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, where governments are expected to discuss ways to respond to rising climate risks. The agency said droughts, floods and extreme heat are making it harder to find lasting solutions for people forced from their homes.
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According to the agency, three-quarters of the world's displaced people are now in countries facing severe exposure to climate-related hazards. It said the problem affects refugees and other forcibly displaced people who have already fled conflict, violence or persecution. Anton Leis Garcia, the agency's assistant high commissioner for operations, said refugees face a "double injustice" because they are forced to flee conflicts they did not cause and are now on the front line of a climate crisis they have contributed least to.
The agency said climate change is also complicating returns and recovery for people who have gone back home. More than two-thirds of refugees who returned during the first half of this year went back to countries highly vulnerable to climate hazards, it said. In Syria, where nearly four million displaced people have recently returned, declining groundwater and climate shocks are threatening recovery, and flooding along the Euphrates River last May damaged homes and displaced thousands again.
The warning adds a displacement dimension to the climate agenda ahead of the Turkey summit. It highlights how environmental stress can deepen humanitarian needs in places already affected by conflict and weak infrastructure. The agency also said weather-related disasters have driven more than 255 million internal displacements worldwide over the past decade, underlining the scale of the issue beyond cross-border refugee movements.
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The report points to a longer-term risk for refugee settlements and return areas, especially in regions already exposed to heat and water stress. The agency said that by 2050, one in three refugee settlements across sub-Saharan Africa could face 100 or more days of dangerous heat each year. It also said exceptionally strong El Nino conditions were expected to add to displacement pressures, including in East Africa where forecasts point to severe flooding.
What remains unclear is how much of the COP31 agenda will translate into specific protection measures for displaced people. The agency's warning does not set out binding commitments, but it does sharpen pressure on governments to link climate policy with humanitarian planning. The coming summit will show whether states treat displacement as a central climate issue or as a separate humanitarian concern.
