Building Global Governance for 'Climate Refugees'

This G20 Insights policy brief, contributed to by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and environmental NGOs, argues that current global governance for displaced populations is inadequate for the scale of climate-induced migration and calls for G20 leadership in reforming humanitarian responses.

• Current global governance frameworks for refugees and forced migration are unprepared for the projected number of people displaced by a changing climate. The G20 is identified as having the responsibility to lead reforms, prepare for these shifts, and establish annual reviews to improve humanitarian responses to climate mobility.
• Existing international law and policy are based on the incorrect premise that displaced persons can eventually return to their origins, a condition that does not apply to many affected by climate change. Because climate-induced migration is a broad phenomenon—ranging from sudden disasters to slow-onset events like sea-level rise and ocean acidification—governance reform is required to clarify the rights and obligations of governments in countries of origin, transit, and destination.
• The term 'climate refugee' is considered controversial because it fails to account for the diverse situations of those affected by climate change and conflicts with the specific legal definition of a 'refugee'.

APA

Vaughan, S., & Axworthy, L. (2017). Building Global Governance for 'Climate Refugees'. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/building-global-governance-climate-refugees

Chicago

Vaughan, Scott, and Lloyd Axworthy. Building Global Governance for 'Climate Refugees'. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/building-global-governance-climate-refugees.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vaughan |first1=Scott |last2=Axworthy |first2=Lloyd |title=Building Global Governance for 'Climate Refugees' |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=24 May 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/building-global-governance-climate-refugees |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vaughan2017building, author = {Vaughan, Scott and Axworthy, Lloyd}, title = {{Building Global Governance for 'Climate Refugees'}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/building-global-governance-climate-refugees}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }