Responding to Disasters and Displacement in a Changing Climate: Case Studies Asia Pacific National Societies in Action

The forced displacement of individuals and communities as a result of disasters and the adverse impacts of anthropogenic climate change has been described as one of the greatest humanitarian challenges of the 21st century.2 Between 2009 and 2019, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) recorded a yearly average of 22.7 million people newly displaced by sudden-onset hazards, including floods, storms, wildfires, extreme winter conditions, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides.3 In the six months between September 2020 and February 2021, 12.5 million people were displaced globally. Of all global displacement, 60 percent occurred in the Asia Pacific region with the majority of people being displaced due to climate and weather-related disasters.

Displacement can have devastating impacts on those displaced, as well as on the communities that receive and support them. Many displaced people have critical assistance and protection needs, ranging from emergency shelter, health and psycho- social support, access to clean water and sanitation, protection against violence including gender-based violence and child protection, as well as longer-term support to recover and realize durable solutions.6 Displacement disproportionately affects already vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women, children, the elderly, migrants and refugees, stateless people, minority groups and people with disabilities or serious health conditions.

Climate change is expected to amplify the existing challenges associated with disaster displacement, and the humanitarian impacts on those affected. More frequent and intense sudden-onset hazards are expected to exacerbate displacement and humanitarian needs.7 Slow-onset hazards linked to climate change - including those related to increasing temperatures, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, salinisation, glacial retreat, land and forest degradation, biodiversity loss and desertification - are also expected to directly and indirectly lead to further displacement.