Scientists have said that governments must prepare for increased relocations for millions of people that will be forced to move from their homes due to dangerous weather changes related to global warming.
It was pointed out by scientists that more people are forced from their homes by climate change than war, highlighting the dire consequences of neglecting our environment.
Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council stated "Natural disasters displace three to 10 times more people than all conflicts and war in the world combined".
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) data show that 22 million people were displaced by extreme events in 2013.
Things don’t look to get any better, with predictions for rising sea levels, heatwaves, floods and droughts linked to global warming by leading scientists. This will mean millions of people leaving their homes, some that may not be able to return.
This all comes at a time when many counties are moving towards anti-immigration and economic austerity is straining the generosity of many governments.
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, commented: "For the future we are looking more to planned relocations for people who are prone to frequent hazards".
Beyani is worried that governments will wait too long and urged: "We don’t have to wait until an island sinks in maybe 50 years’ time and an entire population vanishes...There will have to be a planned movement and relocation."
