Refugee population, energy and climate change

Globally, there are 26 million people recognized legally as refugees from a total of 76 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their countries of origin. Among causes for their displacement are poverty, persecutions, violence, human rights violations, social conflicts, food insecurity, repression, wars, climate change, natural disasters, and others. Apart from that, 37,000 people are forced to leave their home countries every day. Paradoxically, displaced people seek asylum, mainly, in low-income countries, even with a lower level of development of their own countries of origin. 

Focusing the discussion on refugees, energy and climate change, it is necessary to start recognizing that “the refugee population has been completely forgotten by the 2030 Agenda” (Adela Salas). The 2030 Agenda does not establish objectives to provide protection, security, and development alternatives to refugee communities. In addition to this, and even though, the “New York Declaration (2016)” for the protection of migrants and refugees states that to favor the integration of refugees in host communities, it is necessary to ensure access to basic services, among these basic services, energy is not considered. Lack of access to clean energy services exacerbates the risks of displaced and vulnerable people and limit their development opportunities. On the other hand, in 2018 alone, 17.2 million people were forced to leave their homes for reasons associated with climate change, of which, 80% were women and girls, many of them, victims of violence and torture. "Women, boys and girls could have up to 14 times more likely to die in natural disasters in countries with greater gender inequality".

Local Market, Shimelba Refugee Camp, Shire, Ethiopia. Photo: Andrea Eras Almeida

In 2020, the United Nations recognized, for the first time and legally, the first climate refugee (Case of Ioane Teitiota, a refugee from Kiribati in New Zealand, 2015). This decision sets a key precedent to guarantee asylum to those whose lives are at risk due to the adverse effects of climate change. Similarly, and positively, in 2019, the UNHCR launched the “Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy” initiative intending to guarantee access to energy to the refugee population from the emergency phase. This means: (i) access to electricity, (ii) access to clean cooking technologies and (iii) connection of community services and support infrastructures. Nevertheless, humanitarian aid lacks the necessary funds and innovative ways to address this humanitarian crisis and to cover the basic needs of these people. The rising costs of the current humanitarian cooperation model, which reached approximately 28.9 billion dollars in 2018, frustrate the efforts of those trying to help refugees and increase the vulnerability of refugees. The challenge is consequently to achieve the participation of stakeholders that not only represent the humanitarian sector. The participation of the private sector, cooperation organizations, academy and civil society is also necessary to unite efforts and face an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with a broader approach that comprehensively tackles refugees, climate and energy.

    By: Andrea Eras Almeida

    PhD in Photovoltaic Solar Energy
    Volunteer Energy Researcher at UPM Africa Plataform
    Founder of Energy from Women

Bibliography:

Instituto de la Mujer. (2020). Género y cambio climático: un diagnóstico de situación. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://www.inmujer.gob.es/actualidad/noticias/2020/Junio/generoycambioclima.htm

Salas-Ruiz, A., Eras-Almeida, A. A., Rodríguez-Rivero, R., Sanz-Cobena, A., Muñoz-Hernández, S., Canet, J., … Gesto-Barroso, B. (2021). A Novel Methodology for Supporting Integration between Refugees and Host Communities: NAUTIA (Need Assessment under a Technological Interdisciplinary Approach). Journal Of Refugee Studies. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feab027

UNHCR. (2020). Teitiota’s sentence: Climate change and displacements. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://eacnur.org/es/actualidad/noticias/emergencias/sentencia-teitiota-desplazamientos-forzados-cambio-climatico

UNHCR. (2019a). Global Trends Forced Displacement in 2018. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Retrieved from www.unhcr.org/5c6fb2d04

UNHCR. (2019b). UNHCR - Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy 2019-2024. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/5db16a4a4