Should the 1951 Refugee convention include people displaced by climate-linked events? A debate exploring solutions for civilians seeking relocation due to climate change.

Alex Randall  Climate Change & Migration Coalition
Jenniffer Dew International Organization for Migration
Recorded at an event organised by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative London

States grant refugee status to people outside their nation who have a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, and cannot return for fear of persecution. With the prospect of populations fleeing extreme environmental conditions, many of whom are from small island states within the Commonwealth, is ‘refugee’ an accurate representation of their political status and relocation needs?