Climate change 'will cause major refugee crisis' within a decade
Climate change will force tens of millions of people to abandon their homes, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, within the next decade, resulting in the world’s largest ever refugee crisis, according to a study by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). US military and security experts told the EJF that the number of refugees will far exceed that created by the Syrian conflict, causing vast challenges for Europe. The study, published on Thursday, calls for the creation of a new legal framework designed to protect climate refugees.

This report focuses on one particular result from climate change – the negative impact on food security and how this factor contributed to the desperation and anger that manifested itself against the Al-Assad regime in Syria.



The Syrian war has resulted in more than 470,000 deaths. 6.6 million people have been internally displaced and nearly five million people are residing in camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon as well as an estimated 1.2 million seeking refuge in Europe.

Whilst the war was not solely a result of climate change, the intertwining effects of drought, rural to urban migration, and the increasing unrest due to a lack of government measures to avoid water scarcity, unemployment and growing inequality, are clear.