Climate Refugees: Facts, Findings, And Strategies For ?Loss And Damage?
Othering & Belonging Institute (University of California Berkeley)
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Abstract: This research brief advocates for formal recognition of climate refugees under international law and proposes the integration of climate mobility into funding mechanisms like the Loss and Damage Fund. It introduces ?petro-persecution? as a new concept linking fossil fuel-driven displacement to systemic injustice. The paper critiques the 1951 Refugee Convention, arguing its limitations exclude climate-displaced populations. It recommends reforms such as developing a climate refugee protocol, legal migration pathways, and solidarity-based funding models. Kenya and other African nations are highlighted for their growing populations of displaced pastoralists and urban migrants. The report links displacement to debt, ecological extraction, and colonial legacies, positioning climate reparations within a justice framework. It concludes with strategies for equitable resettlement, legal protection, land reform, and polluter-pays taxation, offering a roadmap for policy innovation and advocacy.