When grappling with the complex category of “climate migration,” much can get lost in translation. First, the term itself is difficult to pin down. If a family loses its livelihood as a result of increased drought and desertification and has to relocate to an urban area for work, is this an example of climate displacement, or are they economic migrants whose powerlessness to provide for themselves is simply compounded by environmental factors? If a national of one country is forced to cross international borders as a result of violent conflict over limited natural resources, how are they different from any other refugee protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention?
This International Women’s Day, I took a moment to consider the many varied points of view that I heard from and about women during our recent Sudan mission. Their stories are applicable to the situation of many women living in crisis situations around the world.
When Valentino Achak Deng, the subject of Dave Egger’s best selling novel What is the What speaks, he allows long pauses between sentences during which you can almost hear his audience holding their breath. On Tuesday night, Refugees International’s Washington Circle featured Valentino as part of a panel discussion on “The Year of Sudan: What Lies Ahead” at the Mexican Cultural Institute.
When my colleague Melanie Teff and I visited Upper Nile and Southern Kordofan states a few weeks ago, we spent a lot of time hearing and talking about water. Sudan had been experiencing a drought, and harvests had yielded far less than normal. People were worried. The international community was worried. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it was increasing its expected number of beneficiaries for food aid in south Sudan this year from 1.1 million to 4.3 million people, a massive increase.
Danish photographer John Grarup beautifully documents communities in Eastern Africa that have been displaced as a result of climate change. New York Times use of the technically-incorrect term, “climate refugees” duly noted. (They aren't allowed to get refugee status!)
