'I don’t know where my grandson will grow up if this land is lost': Environmental Change and Displacement

It is almost certain that climate change will compromise the global human ‘carrying capacity’, and will force mankind to redraw coastlines, alter where we grow food and find water, and will expose us to harsher and more extreme weather conditions in many parts of the world.  In this post, I will summarise the various forms of displacement by looking at some of the most affected areas and indigenous communities.

Alaska

As I mentioned in previous posts, rising sea levels, commercial hunting and anthropogenic contaminants have all impacted food security, livelihood and culture of Alaskan indigenous groups. Since 1974, temperatures across Alaska have increased by around 2 to 3.5 degrees Celsius, causing sea ice extent to decrease and permafrost to thaw.

Shishmaref is another Inupiaq community located on an island just south of the Arctic Circle. In 2002, residents voted to leave the island due to melting sea ice and major erosion from melting permafrost.  However, the community eventually realised that they did not have the resources to relocate, and a 2006 study confirmed that this could cost up to $200 million. Dozens of indigenous Alaskan communities are facing similar circumstances and are at risk of having to relocate, as stronger storms are eroding the land on which they are situated. The only option is to migrate, as there is no higher ground to relocate to.

Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands consist of 22 countries, with 7500 islands between them. Approximately 300 of these are inhabited, with the total Pacific Islands population reaching over 9.2 million. These countries can in some ways be regarded as indicators for the early impacts of climate change. Despite being responsible for only around 0.006% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pacific Island states often experience the most serious consequences of the practices of developed countries.

Since 1950, the number of natural disasters has increased. Droughts, coral bleaching, and salination of soils have also increased, as a result of both climate change and other anthropogenic environmental damage. Rising sea levels not only threaten coastal zones, potentially creating the first climate refugees, but also the way of life and national identities of Pacific peoples.

Sandbags to prevent floods in Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati has one of the highest poverty rates of the Pacific Islands, and is believed to be one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change. Water supplies are expected to have been reduced to an insufficient level by the mid-21^st century, and the island is at risk of disappearing altogether. In 2005, President Anote Tong acknowledged that migration may be the only option and that other forms of adaptation may be too late.

Sea ecosystems which are essential for the livelihoods of many Pacific Islanders are likely to be severely disrupted by the loss of coral reefs. Coral reefs are home to approximately one million species and provide a critical food supply. In Palau, a nation in the Western Pacific, over one-third of coral reefs have been destroyed due to warming events and coral bleaching. Since witnessing these events, Palau has played a fundamental role in raising international awareness and has worked towards conserving vast swathes of near-shore marine resources and ban the destructive bottom trawling practice.

Bangladesh

‘I respect the scientists as they are wise and there must be truth in their words. I know very little about all this climate change or global warming, and few in my community understand it well. But we are already facing the true nature of these changes. I don’t know where my grandson will grow up if this land is lost.’- U-Sa-Chi-Master, head of the Kansai Na Pyo Roa (a minority Rakhain village in South Bangladesh)

Bangladesh is renowned for its vulnerability to climate change and rising sea levels. In fact, in terms of the number of people likely to be affected, it is the world’s third most vulnerable country to sea-level rise. Food and water supplies will be jeopardised by an increase in salinity around coastal areas, and it is expected that food shortages will result in a large number of internally displaced people.

'Adivasi' is a term which includes all the Indigenous peoples of South Asia. The Adivasi tribal communities of Bangladesh, including the Garo, Santal, Chakma and tribes in the Chittagong Hill tracts, are particularly vulnerable to displacement due to environmental change. Much of their ancestral land has been lost to encroachment by settlers, and so many Adivasi groups are confined to the more drought-prone areas.

Palm oil plantation in Colombia

Colombia

As we have seen with the Batwa, indigenous peoples are sometimes displaced to make way for seemingly 'good' initiatives, such as conservation projects.  Along with other biofuels, oil palm has sometimes been heralded as a more ‘eco-friendly’ alternative to fuel and part of the solution to climate change. Oil palm, in particular, has become one of the fastest growing monocultures in the tropics, which raises the issues of habitat destruction and depleting biodiversity. However, the production of these crops can have devastating consequences on forest-dwelling indigenous peoples and other minorities.

Colombia is home to 92 indigenous groups but also has the world’s second largest number of internally displaced peoples. These communities have endured massive displacement at the hands of paramilitary groups who take over indigenous lands to grow oil palm. Abuses in relation to the planting of these biofuel crops include forced evictions, denied lands rights, higher disease prevalence and an increase in exploitative relationships between forestry officials and indigenous people. Similar situations occur in Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia, due to an increasing demand for biofuels in a somewhat contradictory effort to combat climate change.

Summary

Since 1990, the IPCC has put forward that human migration may be the most significant impact of climate change. By 2050, as many as 200 million people could be displaced due to disruption in monsoon changes in addition to other changes. However, in our search for strategies to fight climate change and biodiversity loss, we can cause further displacement of indigenous peoples, highlighting the delicate balance between combatting environmental issues while maintaining human rights and wellbeing.