Experts at the Asian Development Bank are warning that island states in the Pacific are at high risk of climate-induced migration and refugee flows in the coming years. This extremely high vulnerability has been the result of a number of factors: fragility, small size, relative isolation, highly dispersed populations and limited economies.
“The Pacific island countries lack the tools they need to address climate risks and corresponding impacts. In the long-term, some of the atoll nations would need to plan for migration as an option to address climate change,” Charlotte Benson, principal disaster risk management specialist, and Cinzia Losenno, senior climate change specialist, at the Manila-based institution told Devex.
“In the long-term, part or all of many low-lying atoll nations may become uninhabitable, and the global community must be prepared to accommodate these populations when they are forced to relocate,” the two experts said in a statement. Now is not an opportune time for another refugee crisis, with the Syrian crisis and Rohingya persecution already polarizing opinions about how the displaced should be handled.
About the author
Lean Alfred Santos@DevexLeanAS
Lean Alfred Santos is a former Devex development reporter focusing on the development community in Asia-Pacific, including major players such as the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He previously covered Philippine and international business and economic news, sports and politics.
