Climate change is a threat to everyone, but minority and low-income populations are on the front lines of the crisis.
Disasters triggered 30.7 million displacements worldwide in 2020, over three times more than conflict and violence, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). The IDMC says most people who are internally displaced live in low- and middle-income countries experiencing a rise in extreme weather events and global inequality. An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone that is forced to leave their home but stays in their own country.
“Filling the data gaps on displacement associated with disasters and climate change is essential if we are to fully understand the issue, its scale, who it affects and what impact it has on sustainable development,” says Frankie Parrish, communications specialist at the IDMC. “The number of people displaced, their conditions, needs and aspirations, the duration and severity of their displacement and the risk of future displacement all need to be better quantified so that governments and the international community can plan and respond accordingly,” she adds.
