Climate & Environment

John Gibbons: Climate refugees present bigger crisis than populations displaced by war

While those fleeing conflict enjoy clear legal protections, the same does not apply to the ever-increasing number of those escaping climate breakdown

Although World War II ended in 1945, tens of millions of refugees displaced by the conflict continued to seek safety and shelter for years after the fighting stopped. This humanitarian disaster, which affected well over 50 million people in Europe alone, spurred the creation of the UN Refugee Convention in 1951.

The convention established the fundamental rights of refugees for the first time, and was a key element in resolving the crisis. The convention was ...