How the climate has changed
Our planet is mostly blue. About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, leaving less than a third as land. Throughout the 20th century, sea levels rose about 0.06 inches each year. But over the past two decades, that rate has more than doubled, now rising to about 0.14 inches (.36 cm) per year.
While those numbers may seem small, they gradually add up to a significant amount. Just in 30 years (1993-2023) global sea levels have risen about 4 inches (10 cm), enough to erase entire stretches of coastline; a single inch of additional rise can take away anywhere from 4 to 9 feet of beach . Let’s say that 6.5 feet (1.98 meters) of beach is lost with every extra inch. If levels rise 4 inches, nearly 26 feet (7.9 meters) of coastline disappears in 30 years.
Who is affected?
Now imagine living somewhere where the average elevation is about 3 to 10 feet above sea level. Imagining the impact of 4 inches is hard, but if sea levels are rise a mere 1.5 feet (45 cm) by 2100, only 23% of the Maldives will remain above water. Today, the Maldives has a population of around 540,000 people. If levels continue rising, it means that in just 2 generations the country will be almost completely submerged underwater and uninhabitable.
Another country in danger of disappearance is Kiribati. It lies in the central Pacific Ocean with average elevations of about 6 feet (1.8 meters). While not at the same level of danger as the Maldives, their chances of surviving rising sea levels remain low. In 2008, the Kiribati president asked the countries of Australia and New Zealand to accept Kiribati citizens for permanent relocation. Presently two of the islands of the Republic of Kiribati, Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea, are completely underwater. Many communities and towns have been forced to uproot and move further inland due to the destruction of farmland caused by saltwater.
These island countries are not the only ones at risk when it comes to rising sea levels. Coastal cities in the U.S. will suffer similar fates. New York, for instance, is highly impacted by flooding, and it is estimated that in just 25 years almost 500,000 people will experience living on “threatened land,” which refers to areas that are at risk of flooding. Besides New York, Florida is at the highest risk of experiencing extreme flooding and shrinking coastlines.
Protections against climate change
Currently, there are no regulations on how to define those who are forced to leave their homes due to climate-related changes. Displacement can come from gradual causes, like rising sea levels, or sudden ones, like hurricanes, but in both cases, there is no clear international law to guide what happens next. However, when there is a hurricane that causes significant damage, the response is more obvious than the response to gradual change. People are rendered homeless in a matter of days, and neighboring countries and foreign allies provide necessary aid to help sustain those affected.
With climate change, though, in this case rising sea levels, displacement becomes much more gradual. Bit by bit people are pushed inland, and while most do not want to leave their home countries, in some cases, they are left with no choice but to flee. With the current international law, it is difficult to receive help. Those seeking to relocate are met with lengthy processes and a lack of support.
In 2012, a Kiribati national was severely affected by the rising sea levels. He stated that because of the salt affecting the land he had no way of growing food, so he applied to be a “climate refugee” and seek asylum in New Zealand. His application was rejected and his appeal denied, with New Zealand’s government stating that climate change is not a recognized condition for refugee status.
Articles in the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) are meant to protect people from harm and provide solutions in the case of extreme conditions. Under Article 14, people have a right to seek asylum in other countries in the case of persecution. The article does not mention anything about climate change, and climate change is not considered to be persecution. This is important in the case of the Kiribati national, because while he is justified for wanting to seek asylum, there is not a law that protects him against climate change.
This is not to say that the articles in the UDHR cannot be used to justify the fact that such displacements constitute a human rights violation. Article 25 promises the right to food and shelter. Rising sea levels bring salt water into agricultural lands and contaminate the fresh water supply needed to sustain crop growth. This directly threatens countries’ abilities to grow food, which limits their access to either have access to their own crops or use those crops in trade. Sealife also becomes impacted through warming and rising oceans. Fish, which is one of the main food groups for island countries, become scarcer as their coral reef habitats die.
Conclusion
Climate change is already having significant impacts on today’s society; however, there are not any straightforward solutions for those impacted by it yet. It is clear that if sea levels continue to rise, there will have to be modifications made for those displaced through reasons other than persecution. From a human rights perspective, laws that protect those who are losing their homes and countries due to rising sea levels will be imperative in the future.
Climate change is gradual and constant, and many people do not think about it, but it is still a humanitarian crisis. In the poorer countries, it continues to be the main driver for humanitarian aid. But aid is temporary, and it eventually runs out, which is why there is a need for lawfully binding change. In the future we can hope that laws around asylum for displacement will adopt broader conditions, but for now, it is important to support those who are already experiencing it.
