Climate-Induced Displacement And The Politics Of Environmental Justice

Abstract

Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most significant drivers of human displacement in the twenty-first century. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, over 216 million people could be forced to migrate within their own countries due to slow-onset climate impacts including sea-level rise, water scarcity, and declining agricultural productivity. Yet climate-displaced populations occupy a precarious legal and political space: they are excluded from the 1951 Refugee Convention's definition of refugees, and no binding international framework addresses their protection. This article examines climate-induced migration through the lens of environmental justice theory, arguing that climate displacement constitutes a form of structural injustice in which the populations least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions bear the greatest burden of displacement. Drawing on case studies from Bangladesh, Pacific Island states, and sub-Saharan Africa, the article analyzes the intersection of climate vulnerability with pre-existing inequalities of race, class, gender, and colonial history. It concludes by evaluating emerging governance frameworks and proposing principles for a justice-centered approach to climate mobility.