Environmental Refugees in International Law: A Critical Assessment of Legal Status and Protection Deficits

Abstract

This study examines the emerging significance of climate change in relation to human displacement around the various corners of the world. The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951, and its 1967 Protocol, do not explicitly define, protect, or provide any mechanisms for individuals displaced solely by environmental factors.  This study examines the legal status of environmental refugees and their exclusion from the existing international legal framework and examine state responsibility. The study employs doctrinal methodology. It argues that the present international refugee law is inadequate to recognize and protect environmental refugees. The study concludes with an emphasis on the international cooperation, creation of internationally recognized international framework, and the clarification on role of states through international practice.