Climate Crisis Deepens Refugee Crises
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has highlighted that at least 117 million people have been displaced by war, violence, and persecution. This alarming figure is increasingly linked to the growing climate crisis, which exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in affected regions.
Extreme weather events are playing a critical role in displacing communities. Floods in South Sudan and Brazil, record-breaking heat in Kenya and Pakistan, and water shortages in Chad and Ethiopia are pushing already fragile populations to the brink. Over the past decade, weather-related disasters have accounted for 250 million internal displacements, equivalent to around 70,000 every day or two displacements every three seconds.
This year, returns to Syria and Afghanistan have contributed to a slight decrease in global displacement compared to 2024. However, the underlying challenges remain severe.
Frontline Struggle
A new report from UNHCR reveals that three out of four displaced individuals now live in countries where frontline communities face “high-to-extreme” exposure to climate-related hazards. These communities are particularly vulnerable as extreme weather events threaten their safety, disrupt access to essential services, destroy homes and livelihoods, and force families—many of whom have already fled violence—to flee once more.
Filippo Grandi, the outgoing UN High Commissioner for Refugees, emphasized that these people have endured immense loss and now face the same hardships again. They are among the hardest hit by severe droughts, deadly floods, and record-breaking heatwaves, yet they have the fewest resources to recover.
Protection System Strained
Basic survival systems for refugees are under significant strain globally, according to UNHCR. In flood-affected areas of Chad, for example, newly arrived refugees fleeing the war in neighboring Sudan receive fewer than 10 liters of water a day, far below emergency standards. By 2050, the hottest refugee camps could face nearly 200 days of extreme heat stress per year, posing serious risks to health and survival.
“The deadly combination of extreme heat and high humidity could make many of these locations uninhabitable,” the UN refugee agency warned. This situation underscores the urgent need for improved infrastructure and support systems in these vulnerable regions.
African Land Degradation Threat
The UNHCR also noted that 1.2 million refugees returned home in early 2025, but half of them arrived in “climate-vulnerable” areas. Additionally, 75% of land across Africa is deteriorating, with over half of refugee settlements located in “high stress” areas. This degradation is shrinking access to food, water, and income, driving recruitment into armed groups in parts of the Sahel and fueling conflict and repeated displacement.
Despite rising needs, funding shortfalls and an inequitable climate finance system have left millions unprotected. Conflict-affected countries that host refugees receive only one-quarter of the climate finance they need, while the majority of global climate funding never reaches displaced communities or their hosts.
Funding Challenges and Calls for Action
Mr. Grandi stressed that funding cuts are severely limiting the ability to protect refugees and displaced families from the effects of extreme weather. Speaking on the opening day of the UN COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, he urged immediate action.
“If we want stability, we must invest where people are most at risk,” Mr. Grandi said. “To prevent further displacement, climate financing needs to reach the communities already living on the edge. They cannot be left alone. This COP must deliver real action, not empty promises.”
Key UNHCR Report Findings
- Three in every four refugees or people displaced by conflict are currently living in countries facing high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards.
- 1.2 million refugees returned home in early 2025, half to climate-vulnerable areas.
- 75% of land in Africa is deteriorating, with over half of refugee settlements in high-stress areas.
- Nearly all current refugee settlements will face an unprecedented rise in hazardous heat. By 2050, the hottest fifteen refugee camps in the world—located in Gambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Mali—are projected to face nearly 200 days or more of hazardous heat stress per year.
- By 2040, the number of countries facing extreme climate hazards could rise from three to 65.
- Since April 2023, nearly 1.3 million people fleeing the conflict in Sudan have sought refuge in South Sudan and Chad, two countries among the least equipped to cope with the growing climate emergency.