Conclusion

Abstract

Not only is climate induced displacement a real and concerning phenomena, but the future of this migration is also poised to increase. While most movement is still situated in the future, what is happening now needs to be addressed. Whether it be the long struggle of the people of the Carterets for permanent relocation or the most recent cyclone activity in the Pacific, there is an increasing need for the international community to intervene and assist climate induced displacement as it happens. While the leaders of the nations most affected by the latest events (Vanuatu for Cyclone Pam and the Philippines for Typhoon Haiyan) have credited climate change with their severe effects, some atmospheric scientists have been able to substantiate this. Running several models after Cyclone Pam, Dr. Kerry Emanuel, a professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT, was able to assess that, even with some shorter-term data, the results suggest that all of this is consistent with the consensus that the frequency of high level tropical cyclones should increase as the planet gets warmer (Emanuel, 2015). Haiyan hit the Philippines just before the COP 19 in Warsaw. During the talks, the Philippine negotiator, Yeb Sano, began a fast which quickly spread among the civil society participants — especially the youth. “Fast for the climate” became a movement with a meaning that was more than symbolic — if the people of the Philippines were suffering, the participants would not eat until the meeting produced an agreement which provided justice for those harmed and displaced.