Because of the Climate Crisis Displaced Populations Face Dangerous Health Impacts

The climate crisis is claiming entire communities all over the world, even here in the United States. 

Last year, flooding left Pakistan one-third of the country partly underwater due to climate change. U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “today is Pakistan; tomorrow, it could be your country.” 

We’ve already seen it happen in the U.S. when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, displacing more than a million people in the region, and $120 billion in federal funds was spent on the recovery effort. 

In Pakistan, nearly 8 million people have been displaced. The flooding has led to severe human health impacts, including loss of crops, public health challenges, and limited access to clean water. There is no doubt that the climate crisis is affecting global well-being, but there is doubt as to how humanity will respond to the needs of climate migrants and climate refugees. 

Whether it is drought in Somalia, a wildfire in California, or a flood in Bangladesh, people are being forced to leave their communities, and they may never be able to return. In addition to losing their homes, displaced people face dangerous health impacts such as heat-related illness, disease exposure, air pollution, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Even worse, it isn’t their fault. 

I recently spoke to a Somali refugee who worried about his family’s safety and livelihood. 

“Rain is never enough. Somali people are agrarian, but there isn't enough rain and water to keep our animals, our cows, and not enough to grow our crops. Livestock and farming are affected, and so is our food supply, so there isn't enough food to put on our plates,” he said. “Even in refugee camps, there is much suffering as they try to live like they did by farming, planting crops, and trees, but there isn't enough rain or water, so children are starving to death without enough food.”

This refugee spoke with me anonymously because, like many of his countrymen, he lives in great fear of his family being targeted by militant groups in Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya. 

In Somalia, for example, because of climate change, there is insufficient rainfall to grow crops and raise livestock so two new populations are emerging—climate refugees, a person who leaves their home country, and climate migrants, a person who relocates within their country due to climate change. Specifically, the World Bank Report estimates that by 2050, the three regions of Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia alone could force more than 143 million people to move within their own countries. This number is only going to increase as the climate crisis worsens. 

On the surface, these populations seem to leave their homes to escape from famine, poverty, or conflict, but these hardships are closely connected to the climate emergency. The 2019 Global Peace Index Report stated, “61.5 percent of total displacements were due to climate-related disasters”. An alarming number of people are being forced to flee to find safer places to live. In fact, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, roughly 900,000 Americans were displaced by natural disasters in 2019. 

Climate change impacts our bodies leading to dangerous human health outcomes

Often, displaced populations feel the most dangerous human health impacts of the climate crisis as their journey subjects migrants and refugees to long hours and may be subjected to manual outdoor physical labor in intense heat and humidity without access to basic needs. The increased number of intense heat days threatens human health from increasing vector-related diseases, skin injuries, infectious, parasitic,  and non-communicable diseases, and civil unrest and armed conflict.  

Agriculture migrant populations are subjected to increased heat stress and health-related illnesses, which may result in a life-threatening outcome, such as heat stroke. This gentleman and other Somali families are often chased by the realities of violence, fear, and persecution exacerbated by the climate emergency. These stressors lead to long-term health impacts such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and anxiety. He explains how family members remain at the refugee camps and are at great risk in their home country. “People are fleeing from the areas; children are running away from their homes; they are needing to leave as there is no ability to farm and sustain themselves. The youth are vulnerable, especially given the severity of famine and drought.” 

In addition, when refugees reach their destination, they face significant health barriers, including isolation, loneliness, and cultural adaptation. The disruption of families, even with relocation to other countries such as the United States, is difficult, especially when immigration policies and processes are not timely in reuniting families who have left their homes. For example, a family from Uganda, now living in Wisconsin, has been waiting more than five years to be reunited with their family members. 

Climate change impacts our environment, which leads to dangerous human health outcomes. Understanding how carbon pollution from the fossil fuel industry damages our environment and health is important. Many migrants and refugee populations rely solely on agriculture as their main source of income and to feed their families. Climate change triggers extreme weather events, such as flash flooding, that tear through farms, causing the loss of precious crops needed to survive famine. In addition, increased heat and drought decrease the nutritional value of crops. The climate crisis is forcing people to leave their homes to find food security. 

Global policymakers need to do more to craft aggressive policies to reverse climate change trends and address the needs of those already displaced by the climate crisis. This needs to change, or tomorrow, as UN Secretary-General Guterres indicated, will be here soon, and not just the health of migrants and refugees will be in severe jeopardy. As this refugee notes, “the impact of climate change is worldwide."