As climate change escalates, millions of people are projected to be displaced in the coming decades. However, the people displaced in the context of climate change and natural disasters, known as “climate refugees,” currently lack formal recognition and protection under international law. To address this gap and explore potential solutions for an international legal framework for climate refugees, GJIA welcomes attorney Caitlan M. Sussman, who spoke about her 2023 article , “A Global Migration Framework Under Water: How Can the International Community Protect Climate Refugees?” GJIA : Your research indicates that “climate refugees” remain excluded and unprotected within legal refugee frameworks like the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. What distinguishes climate refugees from refugees defined under global legal instruments, and why are they excluded from these frameworks? CMS : I want to start by giving some context before I answer your question. We have heard about the impacts of climate change including rising sea levels, floods, famine, and drought. But missing from this discussion are the millions of people who have been and will be displaced by climate change and natural disasters. Scientists predict that over the next 30 years, 1.2 billion people could be displaced by climate change and natural disasters. The problem is that no legal framework currently exists to protect these people, the “climate refugees.” I would like to make clear that I am using the term “climate refugees” as a colloquial term to cover this group of climate-displaced people. However, the term is not actually recognized by any international body—and that is part of the problem. The 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol are the only binding global legal treaties that define refugees, their rights, and nations’ obligations to protect them. The 1951 Convention defines refugees as people […]