World: Refugees Twice Over: Climate Migration and ‘Double Displacement’

Countries: World, Bangladesh, Chad, Jordan Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants By: Alexia Gardner, USCRI Policy Analyst, and Anum Merchant, USCRI Policy Intern Extreme weather continues to drive new large-scale displacement, with 2024 ranked among the highest years recorded. From typhoons to droughts, climate-related disasters threaten people’s ability to sustain themselves in their homeland, forcing them to seek safety elsewhere. Marginalized communities, despite contributing little to the burning of fossil fuels, will disproportionately face the devastating effects of climate-related disasters. Refugees are among those most vulnerable to the effects of climate shocks. By 2050, the United Nations predicts that many refugee camps will be rendered nearly uninhabitable by extreme weather events. Refugees fleeing conflict and persecution desire a safe place to call home. Approximately 22 percent of the world’s refugee population lives in camps. Refugee camps are settlements usually designed to provide temporary shelter to those fleeing across borders, although they increasingly house people for decades, if not generations. Many of these camps are in countries facing high to extreme climate hazards, placing already displaced populations at heightened risk of further displacement as these compounding pressures grow. In 1991, Kenya’s Dadaab camp was built to host Somalis fleeing the country’s civil war. Over time, it has become one of the world’s largest refugee camp. More than 400,000 people call it home. Some have lived there for decades, their children born as refugees. Increasingly, Somalis flee not only civil war and political strife, but environmental disaster. Somalia is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. One year, floods spoil the crops; the next, drought sucks the soil dry of nutrients. Dadaab now hosts many Somalis displaced in part by climate impacts, sometimes referred to as “ climate refugees ” or people who have crossed borders seeking safety as drought, floods, and other climate-related shocks intensify in their homeland. In 2024, Dadaab was hit with extreme flooding, forcing its refugee residents once again from their homes. 20,000 people were displaced to higher ground. The incident illustrates that forced migration, contrary to popular narratives, is often not a singular event. Double displacement refers to situations in which people, displaced at least once already, are uprooted again. As the Earth continues to heat, climate-related environmental disasters are increasingly a driver of double displacement. Refugees flee camps that, despite becoming home over years or decades, were often temporary by design and ill-equipped to weather the climate disasters now striking them. Displacement ruptures the relationship between a person and the land. Repeated displacement from one’s home, whether temporary or prolonged, carries severe psychological and social consequences. As extreme heat, rising sea levels, and intensifying storms reshape the planet, more people will be unsettled many times over. Climate Displacement from Refugee Camps Most of the world’s refugee camps are in climate hotspots, or regions of the world particularly affected by the effects of climate change. Climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, refers to the long-term warming of Earth’s atmosphere. With emissions from fossil fuels increasing unabated, weather patterns alter. In some places, this means extreme heat; in others, extreme cold. The soil might become parched by lack of water or flooded by an increase in monsoons. The African continent, home to many of the world’s largest refugee camps, faces high risk of extreme heat, flooding, and drought. By 2050, the hottest 15 refugee camps in the world, all in Africa, are projected to face nearly 200 days or more of hazardous heat stress per year. The perception of refugee settlements as short-term solutions to humanitarian crises perpetuates their vulnerability to extreme weather events. The camp’s infrastructure and design reflect their intended impermanence. Settlements are often densely organized with limited protective structures. Often constructed with wood and plastic sheeting, they are unable to provide residents with adequate insulation. Weak infrastructure and amenities also increase the camp’s vulnerabilities to climate-related risks. Poor-quality housing, along with weak water and sanitation systems, mean that extreme heat and intense rainfall translate more directly into harm. Over time, repeated exposure to such conditions can render settlements uninhabitable, undermining health and basic safety for the refugees. The camp’s design, in this way, does not merely reflect climate vulnerability but deepens it, pushing refugees closer to the threshold of having to move once again. From Chad to Bangladesh to Jordan, refugee camps around the world are increasingly exposed to climate disasters. The cases below illust

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