Land lies at the core of solving climate displacement; the world as we know it is not prepared.
Melbourne, Australia — Between five and twenty million acres of land is estimated to be required globally to provide new housing for those threatened with the loss of their homes due to the effects of climate change, according to findings of a new report released today by Displacement Solutions.
The not-for-profit’s new report, Solving Climate Displacement Through Proactive Land Policy, speaks to three key areas: accessibility and policy as the root cause of the issue, the need for proactive planning to start now, and that protecting house, land, and property rights must be at the core of climate policy responses.
Scott Leckie, Displacement Solutions Director, says the world as we know it is not prepared for the issue of climate displacement, and governments must understand that concerted international efforts to identify viable land resources is crucial to deal with the enormity of the issue.
Globally, the estimated area required to house the hundreds of millions affected by climate displacement is equal to the size of Slovenia at a minimum, or even Austria at a maximum estimate.
“Governments have barely lifted a finger to find land for the hundreds of millions of people threatened with climate displacement. The time for inaction must end now. We need new action, new institutions and new resources to protect these people,” he added.
Leckie says that whilst land supply is not the problem — it’s a question of access and policy.
“Our latest research argues that there is more than enough land available to rehouse the world’s growing climate displaced populations,” said Leckie.
Displacement Solutions, established in 2006, has identified specific land parcels for climate displaced communities across various countries. Even in countries as densely populated as Bangladesh, safe land has been identified for the development of new towns and villages to provide climate displaced families with a place to go.
While a select few governments - Fiji, Kiribati and Panama among them - have taken limited action through land allocation, purchase measures and planned relocations, the overwhelming majority have not.
“Despite the obvious risks to the human rights of millions of people across the globe, governments have failed to prioritise land resources specifically for displaced communities or enacted any comprehensive strategies to set aside land and specific funding for the issue,” Leckie said.
“Inaction will cost lives. governments, international organisations, and civil society must work together to develop comprehensive strategies that anticipate and address the challenges of climate migration. And we need to start now.”