The first evacuation of an entire people on environmental grounds has now begun in the South Pacific. Persistent flooding is causing the submergence of the Carteret Islands, a low lying atoll in Papua New Guinea, where the saltwater intrusion is also contaminating the islands freshwater supply and preventing the growth of crops. Despite attempts at battling the floods, including building a seawall and planting mangroves, the islands were declared uninhabitable by the government in 2005 and expected to be completely submerged by 2015. Now, the first few families have been relocated to Bougainville on the mainland as part of the initial stage of the evacuation process causing the Carteret Islanders to be labeled as the world's first environmental refugees.

This forced resettlement of a whole population draws attention to the inescapable reality of environmental displacement, an occurrence which will only become more commonplace as the impacts of climate change are felt around the world.

The status of environmental refugees is now a key point of debate within the refugee and forced migration arena. The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, often referred to as the Geneva Convention, was initially approved in 1951 as a way of protecting European refugees following the Second World War. Its geographical scope was later expanded following an amendment in 1967. According to the convention, a refugee is defined as a person displaced due to "a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion". Clearly this definition does not encompass those displaced as a result of environmental concerns. Consequently, environmental refugees do not fall under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and cannot be granted refugee status under international law.

The UNHCR has estimated that around 24 million people have already been uprooted due to floods, famines and other environmental disasters, far exceeding those displaced due to persecution and conflict. The lack of protection for those forced to move because of the environment raises the question of how the world will cope with the mass displacement of people predicted as the environment becomes less and less stable.

The movement of more 'traditional' refugees, as monitored by the UNHCR, can act as an indicator for refugee trends as a whole. Despite a concern of refugee influxes often displayed by richer countries, in reality the vast majority of those displaced tend to stay within their region of origin, fleeing to neighboring countries. Close to 80% of the world’s official refugee population is located in the developing world, a figure further compounded by the often considerable numbers of internally displaced people. Assuming that the trends are similar for the environmentally displaced this raises the issue of how already struggling nations will be able to cope with these added pressures. The lack of recognition of environmental refugees by the UNHCR translates directly into a lack of support and funding.

The plight of the Carteret Islanders and the many others living in unstable ecosystems highlights the need for the global community to support vulnerable populations in becoming more resilient to changes in their environment and to also provide protection for those forced to flee.

Further Information:
The Office of the United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees
Future Floods of Refugees Norwegian Refugee Council, 2008
The Evacuation Begins The Ecologist, 2009

EarthTrends Datasets:
Displaced Persons: Refugees by country of destination
Displaced Persons: Internally displaced persons, total number

Photo Credits:
Image 1: The Ecologist/Dan Box
Image 2: UNHCR/Z. Sinclair