This blog post summarizes a new UNHCR report showing how extreme weather and environmental decline are amplifying displacement worldwide and compounding crises already driven by conflict.
It highlights the human impact — including the story of Habiba Djida, a refugee in Chad — key statistics on displacement and climate exposure, and the urgent calls for targeted finance, inclusion of displaced people in climate plans, and international action at COP30 in Belém.
Key findings from the UNHCR report on climate-driven displacement
The UNHCR data make a stark point: displacement is no longer driven only by violence and persecution.
By mid‑2025, an estimated 117 million people were forcibly displaced by war and persecution, and a worrying 75 percent of them live in areas that are highly exposed to climate hazards.
In the past decade, weather‑related disasters triggered roughly 250 million internal displacements — about 70,000 people per day — demonstrating the scale and persistence of climate‑related mobility.
The report documents extreme conditions inside many camps and settlements.
Refugees in Chad, for example, often receive less than 10 liters of water per day, far below the WHO’s recommended minimum.
Numerous camps across Africa experience up to 200 days of dangerous heat annually.
How local stories reflect global trends
The experience of people like Habiba Djida — who fled violence in Cameroon only to face rising floodwaters in a refugee site in Chad — encapsulates the double jeopardy confronting displaced populations.
Floods, extreme heat and degraded land undermine shelter, sanitation and livelihoods, and create new risks of disease and hunger.
As ecosystems deteriorate and resources shrink, social tensions rise and recruitment by armed groups can increase, particularly across the Sahel.
Environmental degradation, security risks and funding gaps
The UNHCR warns that environmental degradation is accelerating across Africa: approximately three‑quarters of the continent’s land is deteriorating.
More than half of refugee settlements are under severe ecological stress.
These trends are not only humanitarian concerns but also security risks, as environmental stressors can exacerbate local conflict dynamics and drive displacement flows.
Compounding the problem is a sharp shortfall in funding and inequitable access to climate finance.
Vulnerable communities, including refugees and internally displaced people, are frequently excluded from adaptation programs and economic support that would reduce risk and build resilience.
What needs to happen at COP30 and beyond
As world leaders gather at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has urged a shift from promises to concrete action, stressing the need to include displaced people in climate planning.
UNHCR’s call is clear: climate and humanitarian actors must collaborate to direct finance and technical support where it can reduce displacement risk and increase resilience for affected communities.
Priority actions should include:
Conclusion: urgency and opportunity
The UNHCR report is both a warning and a roadmap.
Without decisive action and equitable financing, millions will remain locked in cycles of climate‑driven displacement.
Here is the source article for this story: UNHCR Report Shows Extreme Weather Drives Repeated Displacement as COP30 Focuses on Collaboration and Action – by Carly Winchell