Global Framework Convention proposed to protect climate migrants

Current international legal frameworks are insufficient to address the growing crisis of climate-induced migration. Projections suggest that climate change could internally displace 216 million people across six regions by 2050, and while cross-border migration is expected to increase, specific international mechanisms for protection remain lacking.

Legal scholars have proposed the establishment of a Global Framework Convention on Climate-Induced Migration (GFCCIM). This proposed convention aims to facilitate state adaptation goals and create a system to strengthen the human rights protections of climate migrants. Such a framework would address the current protection gap and help ensure safe, orderly, and voluntary migration.

Despite warnings from the IPCC regarding the devastating impacts of global warming, the issue of ‘climate refugees’ often lacks dedicated attention in international agendas. Challenges to establishing formal protections include state reluctance to concede sovereign functions and the difficulty of proving direct causation between climate change and specific migration events.