Climate impacts are forcing people from their homes. When, how and why do they have valid refugee claims?
- Written by Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney
For a long time, it seemed refugee law had little relevance to people fleeing the impacts of climate change and disasters.
Nearly 30 years ago, the High Court of Australia, for instance, remarked that people fleeing a “natural disaster” or “natural catastrophes” could not be refugees.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Canada...
