Public and Private International Law Bulletin

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DOI :10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088   IUP :10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088    Full Text (PDF)

The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter

Emre Külüşlü

The matter of climate migration, which arises as a result of long-term environmental degradation triggered by climate change and natural and man-made disasters, requires a global struggle due to its negative effects. Carrying out a largescale struggle against the matter of climate migration, which is mainly addressed within the framework of its economic, social, political and cultural effects, necessitates the examination of the problem, especially with its legal dimension, as well as other aspects. Determining the legal dimension of the climate migration matter, primarily requires addressing the concrete characteristics of the issue; correspondingly, we aim to introduce the factors causing climate migration and the negative consequences of climate migration within the scope of our study. In line with this stated goal, disasters caused by climate change that occur in various regions of the world and trigger migration movements will be exemplified and how climate migration is addressed in legal regulations for preventing climate change will be determined. Subsequent to introducing the climate migration matter within the framework of its concrete characteristics, the sources of international protection law in force will be examined in order to determine the legal dimension of the struggle to be conducted. The national and international legal regulations considered within the scope of our study, provides no protection opportunity for climate migrants; more clearly, the international community remains unresponsive to the climate migration matter. This unresponsive attitude of the states and the international community regarding the matter of climate migration, requires creation of awareness on the matter of climate migration and establishment of international regulations that will serve the legal struggle to be carried out within this framework. Within the scope of our study, suggestions are made regarding the form of the legal struggle to be carried out against the climate migration matter that threatens the future of humanity; in this framework, it is stated that an international agreement that will serve to provide legal protection to climate migrants should be signed and, through the said agreement, the obligations of states regarding the climate migration matter should be determined and international organisations that will provide coordination and supervision regarding protection of climate migrants should be established. 

Keywords: Climate change, climate migrant, climate refugee, international protection law
DOI :10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088   IUP :10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088    Full Text (PDF)

İklim Göçmenliği Sorununun Hukuki Boyutu

Emre Külüşlü

İklim değişikliğinin tetiklediği uzun vadeli çevresel bozulmalar ile doğal ve insan kaynaklı afetler sonucunda ortaya çıkan iklim göçmenliği sorunu, yarattığı olumsuz etkiler itibariyle küresel ölçekte bir mücadelenin yürütülmesini gerekli kılmaktadır. Ağırlıkla ekonomik, sosyal, siyasal ve kültürel etkileri çerçevesinde ele alınan iklim göçmenliği sorununa karşı ciddi bir mücadelenin yürütülmesi; sorunun diğer yönlerinin yanı sıra özellikle hukuki boyutuyla da incelenmesini gerektirmektedir. İklim göçmenliği sorununun hukuki boyutunun tespiti öncelikle meselenin somut özelliklerinin ele alınmasını gerektirmekte, buna bağlı olarak iklim göçmenliğine neden olan etkenler ve iklim göçmenliğinin doğurduğu olumsuz sonuçların çalışmamız kapsamında tanıtılması hedeflenmektedir. Belirtilen bu hedef doğrultusunda, dünyanın çeşitli bölgelerinde gerçekleşen ve göç hareketlerini tetikleyen iklim değişikliği kaynaklı afetler örneklendirilecek ve iklim değişikliğinin önlenmesine yönelik hukuki düzenlemelerde iklim göçmenliğinin ne şekilde ele alındığı ortaya konulacaktır. İklim göçmenliği sorununun somut özellikleri çerçevesinde tanıtılmasının ardından; yürütülecek mücadelenin hukuki boyutunun tespiti adına, yürürlükte bulunan uluslararası koruma hukuku kaynakları incelenecektir. Çalışmamız kapsamında ele alınan ulusal ve uluslararası nitelikteki hukuki düzenlemelerde iklim göçmenlerine yönelik herhangi bir koruma imkânı tanınmamakta, daha açık bir ifadeyle, uluslararası kamuoyu tarafından iklim göçmenliği sorununa karşı kayıtsız kalınmaktadır. Devletlerin ve uluslararası kamuoyunun iklim göçmenliği sorununa ilişkin bu kayıtsız tutumu, iklim göçmenliği sorununa yönelik farkındalık yaratılmasını ve bu çerçevede yürütülmesi gereken hukuki mücadeleye hizmet edecek uluslararası nitelikte düzenlemeler yapılmasını gerekli kılmaktadır. Çalışmamız kapsamında, insanlığın geleceğini tehdit eden iklim göçmenliği sorununa karşı yürütülecek hukuki mücadelenin şekline ilişkin önerilerde bulunulmakta; öncelikle iklim göçmenlerine hukuki koruma sağlanmasına hizmet edecek bir uluslararası anlaşmanın yapılması ve yapılacak bu anlaşma vasıtasıyla devletlerin iklim göçmenliği sorununa ilişkin yükümlülüklerinin belirlenmesi ile iklim göçmenlerinin korunmasına ilişkin koordinasyon ve denetimi sağlayacak uluslararası kuruluşların oluşturulması gerektiği ifade edilmektedir.

Keywords: İklim değişikliği, iklim göçmeni, iklim mültecisi, uluslararası koruma hukuku

EXTENDED ABSTRACT


Unrestrained energy consumption that emerged after the industrial revolution causes climate change over the long term. Climate change causes migration flows in certain regions by removing the ability of local residents to meet basic humanitarian needs. The climate migration matter that emerges due to natural and man-made disasters and long-term environmental degradations triggered by climate change, stays on course to becoming one of the primary concerns of the near future. Although it is predicted that 150 to 200 million people will be forced to migrate permanently by the middle of the 21st century due to factors related to climate change, the climate migration matter is not sufficiently considered by the world public opinion.

Within the scope of our study addressing the legal dimension of the climate migration matter; concrete instances regarding the factors causing climate migration are given by drawing attention to the threats to the safety of life and property of local residents as a result of natural and man-made disasters and long-term environmental degradations such as rising sea level, melting of glaciers in mountainous regions, rising difficulties of accessing fresh water sources etc. After the general introduction of climate migration matter, how the mentioned matter is being handled in national and international legal regulations on preventing climate change and protecting the environment is examined. Hovewer, unfortunately there is no provision to prevent climate migration or provide protection to climate migrants in the mentioned legal regulations.

The unresponsive attitude of the aforementioned legal regulations on the climate migration matter necessitates the examination of the climate migration matter within the framework of international protection law. Nevertheless, the definition of refugee made in the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees that constitutes the essential of international protection law is limited to those who confront the risk of death or persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, membership of a certain social group or political views. Therefore, climate migrants cannot have refugee status in accordance with the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the national legal regulations parallel to that convention. In addition, the definition of ‘displaced persons’ made in the European Council Directive 2001/55/EC on Minimum Standards for Giving Temporary Protection in the Event of a Mass Influx of Displaced Persons and on Measures Promoting a Balance of Efforts Between Member States in Receiving Such Persons and Bearing the Consequence Thereof does not apply to climate migrants.

National legal regulations regarding international protection law remain unresponsive to the climate migration matter, parallel with the international legal regulations. Nothing but the few limited provisions of national legal regulations such as the ‘persons otherwise in need of protection’ status in Swedish law and ‘temporary protection’ status under US law provides legal protection to climate migrants. The overwhelming majority of the national legal regulations, apart from the given examples, do not provide legal protection to climate migrants, and also the national legislation of the Republic of Turkey does not addresses the climate migration matter in a similar manner to the overwhelming majority.

The unresponsive attitude of national and international legal regulations towards climate migration -that stays on course to becoming one of the primary concerns of the near future- prevents the measures against the economic, social, political and cultural negativities caused by climate migration from being considered by the world public opinion. From our perspective, the world public opinion has to conduct a large-scale struggle against the climate migration matter immediately, by way of starting with establishing a climate migrant status and determining the people who will benefit from this status through national and international legal regulations. In this context, our suggestion is to determine the climate migrant status as “individuals who have to migrate from their environment or country individually or collectively, in consequence of becoming unable to meet their basic humanitarian needs by the reason of natural and man made disasters and long term environmental degradations caused by climate change”.

Concluding an international agreement to provide legal protection to climate migrants with the joint contributions of states and world public opinion has importance in respect to giving a systematic feature to the requisite struggle to be conducted against the climate migration matter. Climate migrants are forced to abandon their environment by a failure to meet their basic humanitarian needs such as nutrition and shelter as a result of natural and man-made disasters and long-term environmental degradations triggered by climate change. Therefore, an international agreement that will serve to provide legal protection to climate migrants has to address the challenges confronted by climate migrants within the framework of fundamental human rights, especially the right to life.

The aforementioned international agreement that will serve to provide legal protection to climate migrants, has to bring along a mechanism that will coordinate activities regarding the protection of the basic human rights of climate migrants and meet their humanitarian needs. Considering the heaviest obligations arising from climate migration are being fulfilled by the states hosting climate migrants;an international agreement that will serve to provide legal protection to climate migrants should provide an organisation to share the economic, social, political and cultural obligations arising from climate migration fairly.

Th eorganisation and supervision of the actions to be carried out within the scope of the mentioned international agreement that will serve to provide legal protection to climate migrants constitute one of the important dimensions of the struggle that will be conducted against climate migration. International organisations that will be established such as a scientists board, humanitarian relief fund and coordination center etc. will serve to carry out a systematic struggle against climate migration by way of (i) determining the obligations arising from the mentioned international agreement and distribution of these obligations to the states, (ii) ensuring the return of climate migrants to their environments or providing new permanent settlements, (iii) supporting the adaptation of climate migrants to the society and (iv) taking measures to prevent the migration crisis or at least decrease the negative impacts.


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APA

Külüşlü, E. (2020). The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter. Public and Private International Law Bulletin, 40(2), 1175-1197. https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


AMA

Külüşlü E. The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter. Public and Private International Law Bulletin. 2020;40(2):1175-1197. https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


ABNT

Külüşlü, E. The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter. Public and Private International Law Bulletin, [Publisher Location], v. 40, n. 2, p. 1175-1197, 2020.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Külüşlü, Emre,. 2020. “The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter.” Public and Private International Law Bulletin 40, no. 2: 1175-1197. https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


Chicago: Humanities Style

Külüşlü, Emre,. “The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter.” Public and Private International Law Bulletin 40, no. 2 (May. 2024): 1175-1197. https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


Harvard: Australian Style

Külüşlü, E 2020, 'The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter', Public and Private International Law Bulletin, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 1175-1197, viewed 18 May. 2024, https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Külüşlü, E. (2020) ‘The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter’, Public and Private International Law Bulletin, 40(2), pp. 1175-1197. https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088 (18 May. 2024).


MLA

Külüşlü, Emre,. “The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter.” Public and Private International Law Bulletin, vol. 40, no. 2, 2020, pp. 1175-1197. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


Vancouver

Külüşlü E. The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter. Public and Private International Law Bulletin [Internet]. 18 May. 2024 [cited 18 May. 2024];40(2):1175-1197. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088 doi: 10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088


ISNAD

Külüşlü, Emre. “The Legal Dimension of the Climate Migration Matter”. Public and Private International Law Bulletin 40/2 (May. 2024): 1175-1197. https://doi.org/10.26650/ppil.2020.40.2.0088



TIMELINE


Submitted13.10.2020
Accepted27.10.2020
Published Online13.12.2020

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