Description

Climate change is not merely an environmental, scientific or economic issue; it has become a humanitarian issue too. Increased climate variability and greater intensity and frequency of extreme weather events aggravate humanitarian needs in emergencies. While migration may be a form of adaptation for some, the many millions of people forcibly displaced will be particularly vulnerable and will require substantial humanitarian assistance and protection. Environmental degradation may also become an accelerator or even a trigger for conflict. The serious harm done to the natural environment during a number of armed conflicts has only added to the vulnerability of those affected by the fighting. But the law protecting the environment during armed conflict is not always clear nor is it sufficiently developed.