Desertification and environmental refugees: concrete problems in the context of climate change

Abstract

Climate change has been subject of great debate in recent years. Despite differing opinions, climate change is happening now and it is a real and serious issue. The effects of climate change, which are attributed to human activity through greenhouse gases emissions, are tangible and proven; they affect different elements of our planet, such as the atmosphere and the cryosphere, oceans and sea level. Because of climate change impacts on the environment, it influences the drivers of migration, even if it is not a direct driver. In this context, desertification is a process of environmental degradation derived also from climate change. Nowadays, it is one of the most serious environmental emergencies due to dryness, drought and erosion caused by precipitations, together with anthropic factors. As a consequence, land productivity and ecosystem services are reduced, affecting food security, water supply and agricultural productivity, worsening the economic conditions of those depending on agriculture. In addition to that, desertification and climate change (more generically) cause migration, triggering a vicious cycle of cause-effect that is risky for humans. Those who migrate because of climate change affecting the drivers are named “environmental refugees”. There is a huge debate about the definition of this term, and an agreement has not been reached yet. Moreover, given that the Refugee Convention does not include climate change as a reason to receive refugee status, they are not juridically recognized as refugees. Also about that, there is an ongoing debate. Concluding, domestic and international policies are matter of discussion to reduce migration and/or to prepare developed countries to host migrants.