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Published Thursday, December 3, 2020
International News
Climate change is increasing risks
for immigrants, report says
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Until two years ago, David Cruz had his own land in Nicaragua where he raised cattle and chickens and grew tomatoes and peppers. But that way of life was under threat even before his role in protests made him a target for persecution.
Over the years, the climate in his region of Nicaragua had become drier and more unpredictable. When it did rain, it was often torrential and damaged David’s crops.
“My crops failed,” he said. “And because the authorities had basically declared me an ‘enemy’, they made it impossible for me to get loans that I would have needed to be able to plant again.”
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agency, UNHCR, report, the climate change alone did not force immigrants to relocate, but a growing numbers of people around the world, it was a significant factor driving their displacement.
As our world heats up, the impacts are uneven. But vulnerable people living in some of the most fragile and conflict-affected countries are experiencing some of the most severe effects from deepening droughts to flooding, said the agency in its report.
People in rural areas are struggling to grow the crops that used to sustain their families or to find pasture for their animals. The search for greener pastures is exposing them to new risks when they move to urban areas, and even bringing them into conflict with others.
According to UNHCR, in 2019, weather-related hazards triggered some 24.9 million displacements in 140 countries around the world.
Most displacement linked to climate change is taking place within national borders. People fleeing extreme weather events such as hurricanes, cyclones and floods, for example, tend to stay as close to home as possible and return when floodwaters have receded. Lengthier displacements and movement across international borders are more likely when additional factors are at play.
In Central America’s so-called ‘Dry Corridor’, a stretch of increasingly parched mountainous farmland running from Guatemala to northern Costa Rica, the first move for many small-scale farmers fleeing drought and devastating storms is to a nearby city. But cities in the region can be inhospitable places for rural newcomers. A shortage of jobs and housing often force them into slum areas where they are vulnerable to street gang violence and extortion, and to flooding when the next storm comes.
The two consecutive hurricanes that barrelled through the region in November 2020 are expected to compound hardships for people whose survival was already precarious, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Increased movements across borders are now more likely, including of people fleeing persecution and violence,” said Giovanni Bassau, the regional representative for UNHCR in Central America, following the first storm, Hurricane Eta.
Climate change itself is magnifying the impact of other threats that drive displacement – worsening poverty and intensifying pressures on resources and governance in ways that can stoke conflict and violence.
After people flee their homes, or even when they cross borders, they are not necessarily safe, whether from the effects of climate change or other factors.
The UNHCR is seeking to enhance the resilience of displaced people to climate and other environmental risks by, for instance, ensuring refugee sites are established in secure, sustainable locations and by mitigating environmental degradation through reforestation and other efforts.
The agency is also looking to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and minimize any negative impacts of its operations on the environment. One focus will be on transitioning to sustainable, and preferably renewable energy sources.
While the covid-19 pandemic has brought an extra layer of vulnerability to people already living with the impacts of climate change, insecurity, and displacement, the concerted global response may offer some important lessons for how we respond to these emerging challenges, said Andrew Harper, UNHCR’s Special Advisor on Climate Action.
“It shows that if we want to mitigate the impact of a disaster, we need to be prepared to act quickly and in a holistic manner," Harper said. " If we ignore it, then we will face serious consequences.”
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Have you heard about immigrants who were forced to leave their lands due to natural disasters in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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