Lesson 756.

US Could Consider Protections for ‘Climate

Refugees
@Nozargan June 05, 2021

‫ تمرین و نکات مهم تست زدن‬، ‫آشنایی کامل با آزمون آیلتس به همراه منابع‬

This March 30, 2004, file photo, shows Tarawa atoll, Kiribati. Rising sea levels
caused by global warming threaten the very existence of their tiny Pacific
nation of Kiribati, one of the lowest-lying countries on Earth. (AP
Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

The U.S. government is considering a plan that would offer protections to

people coming into the country to flee areas threatened by climate
change.
No country offers asylum or other legal protections to people displaced
specifically because of the effects of climate change. President Joe
Biden’s administration is studying such a plan.
Biden issued an executive order in February that instructed his national
security advisor, Jake Sullivan, to discuss with federal agencies how such
protections could be created. His discussions are expected to center on
how the U.S. could identify and resettle people displaced directly or
indirectly by climate change. A report on the discussions is expected in
August.
A recent report by the World Meteorological Organization found that
since 2010, about 23 million people a year have been displaced
 by drought, rising sea levels and other climate caused disasters. The
United Nations says there may be as many as 200 million climate-
displaced people worldwide by 2050.
The plan to offer protections to people fleeing climate change-related
events is supported by Democratic Senator Edward Markey of
Massachusetts. He plans to reintroduce legislation to address the lack of
protections for those who do not fit the narrow definition of “refugees”
under international law.
“We have a greater chance now than ever before to get this done,”
Markey said in a statement to The Associated Press. He said this is
because Biden is good at climate diplomacy and has a great awareness of
the climate problems facing the world.

In this April 15, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room
of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Political experts say such legislation is likely to face a lot of opposition.

One problem would be how to define a climate refugee when natural
disasters and violence often both happen in areas people are fleeing, such
as Central America.
If the U.S. did define a climate refugee, it could mark a major change in
refugee policies worldwide. Supporters of such a plan say it would make
sense for the U.S. to lead the way.
“No nation in the world has taken the leadership to address this reality,
which we face today,” said Krish Vignarajah. She heads the Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee Service. “It’s not an issue that we can punt to
20, 30 years from now,” she told the AP. “Our hope is the U.S. can take
strong action that will produce a domino effect on other nations.”
A study by university researchers in the U.S. suggests climate change is
moving away from a migrant population of mainly men seeking better
economic situations to families fleeing hunger.
 Researchers at Duke University and the University of Virginia studied
migration out of Central America. The study involved data on about
320,000 Hondurans caught at the U.S.-Mexico border from 2012 to
2019. The information showed that the individuals were largely from
violent, agricultural areas that were also experiencing their lowest
rainfall in 20 years.

In this March 28, 2021, file photo, Carlos Enrique Linga and his daughter
Betty Noemi talk to a reporter at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in
Mission, Texas, on Palm Sunday. Linga traveled to the U.S. border with his 5-
year-old daughter after rains

While the study found that climate change is a driving force, there
remains little political will to help climate migrants, said the study’s co-
writer, David Leblang. He is a professor of politics and policy at the
University of Virginia.
“As a political scientist, I would say the chances of this happening right
now are close to zero,” he said. Some experts say political pressure may
lead Biden to drop the idea after the number of people stopped by the
Border Patrol last month hit a 20-year high.
The mayors of several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, New York and
San Diego, wrote a letter to President Biden about the issue. It urges
Biden to include the mayors in discussions about the plans so they can
help come up with the right possible solutions to protect climate
migrants.
In New Zealand, a new government in 2017 tried offering humanitarian
visas to Pacific Islanders affected by climate change. The program aimed
to let in about 100 people a year. Six months later, the plan was dropped.
New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister said the government decided
instead to center on reducing emissions so people do not become
displaced.
 I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

drought – n. a period of extended dryness caused by a lack of rain
punt – v. to decide not to do something
domino effect – n. a situation in which something, usually bad,
happens and causes other similar events to happen
emission – n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as
energy or gas) from a source
EDIT

Nozargan