Talk:Environmental migrant

Severe problems with recently added paragraph

I agree that this article needs cleanup. However a paragraph added today by 59.154.17.6 seems to make things worse, not better.

The paragraph reads:

Evidence of increased extreme weather events has however been disputed by actual data, showing that the planet is in fact experiencing the lowest level of hurricane activity in 30 years [1]. In addition, an NOAA study has confirmed that any increase measured in activity may actually be due to increased detection ability, showing no increase in damaging hurricane or tornado activity, but detecting more lower level storm activity [2][3].

The references are:

• 1: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/03/12/global-hurricane-activity-has-decreased-to-the-lowest-level-in-30-years/
• 2: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090811_tropical.html
• 3: http://anhonestclimatedebate.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/%E2%80%9Cglobal-warming-creates-volatility-i-feel-it-when-i%E2%80%99m-flying%E2%80%9D/

Note that the reference to "actual data" is linked to a blog. Reference 3 is also a blog. Blogs are not, by-and-large, reliable sources.

But the main problem here is that the change in climate is misrepresented as a prediction of serious tropical storms such as hurricanes. That is a gross oversimplification.

There is also a problem with interpretation of sources. Note that reference 2 says:

The team also noted that the finding of no increasing trend in hurricane and tropical storm counts in the Atlantic is consistent with several recent global warming simulations from high-resolution global climate model and regional downscaling models.

"This new study is one piece of the puzzle of how climate may influence hurricanes. Although Atlantic storm counts overall have not changed, this study does not address how the strength and number of the strongest hurricanes have changed or may change due to global warming," noted Knutson.

So according to the sole reliable source the new findings are consistent with current predictions of climate change. The only source cited is being misinterpreted so as to say the exact opposite about climate change of the paragraph it is supposed to support. --TS 15:33, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Legal status of the term

This article seems to be largely an ad hoc attempt to define the term "climate refugee." The UN's Inter-Agency Standing Committee says about this term:

In international or regional refugee law a refugee is a person, who meets the criteria under the applicable refugee definition provided for in international or regional refugee instruments, UNHCR’s mandate, and/or in national legislation.

Environmental factors that cause movements across international borders are not grounds, in and of themselves, for the grant of refugee status under the 1951 Refugee Convention. The terms “environmental refugee” and “climate refugee” therefore have no legal basis in international refugee law, and it is recommended that they not be used in official or unofficial documentation. Their use could potentially undermine the international legal regime for the protection of refugees, misdescribe what are projected to be essentially internal movements, and create confusion regarding the link between climate change, environmental degradation and migration. (emphasis mine -TS)

Source: Climate Change, Migration and Displacement: Who will be affected Working paper submitted by the informal group on Migration/ Displacement and Climate Change of the IASC - 31 October 2008 [1]

I think it's important to recognise this. Not that people won't be displaced by climate change, but that the term "climate refugee" is not that well defined. --TS 16:02, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Categories

My mistake in removing Category:Climate change, as I'm proposing the "named" category be deleted. — Arthur Rubin (talk) 16:38, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Article bias

This article, in some spots, reads more like a subjective critique of literature than like an objective, encyclopedia-style entry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.253.159 (talk) 15:18, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Who Moved My Cheese? relevant?

Who Moved My Cheese? relevant? 99.35.15.199 (talk) 04:13, 10 October 2011 (UTC)