People trying to get out of places where climate change has caused natural disasters have asked the UK government to give them visas.
To reduce the effect of related migration on border security, the center-right think tank Onward urged the government to provide safe, legal routes for climate refugees to reach the UK.
The think tank suggested instituting a natural disaster visa scheme that would enable people to either earn money to help rebuild their lives before returning home or settle permanently if they had no place to go after an environmental disaster.
The think tank also suggested a plan in its Forced to Move report for people in vulnerable countries to be trained in sustainability skills and then either remain to help their country adjust to climate change or move to the UK for a limited time to work on the net-zero transition.
Over the next 30 years, the impacts of climate change are anticipated to displace hundreds of millions of people, with some likely to seek refuge in the UK, including through illegal routes.
The report’s authors said: “A robust immigration system and an enforced border to lower the level of illegal migration into the country are key to maintaining public confidence. However, new controllable visa schemes for those displaced by climate change to come to the UK would enable the government to help those most in need while protecting the integrity of the immigration system”.
The UK lacks the resources to assist everyone who might face forced relocation due to climate change over the course of the next century.
“But, as mentioned throughout this report, the UK has demonstrated time and again that it is willing to play its part to help those most in need.”
The report asked private investors to put more money into adapting to climate change in developing countries. This would cut down on the number of people who have to leave their homes because of bad weather.
Following progress on the UN’s Global Goal on Adaptation at Cop27 in Egypt, where the UK announced £200 million in adaptation funding for African nations and promised to triple its total support for climate change adaptation to £1.5 billion by 2025, funding for adaptation measures is likely to be a focus of this year’s Cop28 meeting in Dubai.
According to Onward, 46% of the public supports increased financing for climate adaptation, compared to 28% who reject it, but only 29% believe the UK has an obligation to host climate refugees.
One of the report co-authors, Ted Christie-Miller, said: “We cannot allow climate-related migration to become the defining crisis of the 21st century. The Government needs to act now to build climate resilience in the most vulnerable regions on the planet and open up safe and legal visa routes for those fleeing environmental disasters.”
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