EDITOR'S NOTE.

• Author: Ataman, Muhittin

Climate change and migration are two major phenomena that are constantly altering our planet and need a broad perspective to comprehend. Climate change has lately risen to the top of the worldwide agenda, and both the international community and national governments are scrambling to find adequate answers to its overwhelming impacts on the planet and its people. Migration has become a sobering concern, both as an epiphenomenal repercussion of climate change and as an inherent dynamic in and of itself, particularly in the light of recent mass movements of people from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and, most recently, Ukraine due to Russia's invasion.

Climate change is becoming one of the most powerful forces driving human migration; many observers claim that in the near future its impact may exceed all man-made impacts. Although violence, persecution, and poverty have always driven people to leave their homes and their countries, climate change and natural disasters such as massive earthquakes, destructive floods, and global warming are increasingly impacting migratory patterns. The current global climate emergency has begun to influence not only the security of humans but also nation-states. While some natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods cause direct and immediate human displacements, climate change-related emergencies such as drought and erosion cause slow but steady migrations. As incremental climate change can increase the risk of natural disasters, their consequences will have vital implications for displacements (local or cross-border) and international policymaking.

The right to a healthy and humane environment includes the enjoyment of a safe, clean, and sustainable climate, which is crucial to human existence and well-being. It is the responsibility of all states to take necessary measures such as preparing rights-based decarbonization plans, achieving zero carbon emissions, decreasing the use of fossil fuels, protecting vulnerable peoples, and increasing climate finance. In other words, maintaining a safe climate and protecting human rights are two interrelated issues.

While most observers have been focusing on the movement of people leaving their homes and countries due to war and political crises, far less attention has been given to the millions fleeing their homes and countries due to climate change or other natural disasters. According to the International Displacement Monitoring Center, since 2008 more than 21 million people on average per year have been displaced due to different natural disasters.

The capacity of nation-states in dealing with large swathes of people fleeing their home countries due to war, conflicts, natural disasters, and climate change has been of increasing interest for scholars and policymakers. The international refugee system and associated institutions have been criticized for failing to address the issue and lagging behind the developments producing further refugees...