Yet, rich countries have responded to this humanitarian disaster with lock-down and lock-up measures to try and stop vulnerable people trying to flee.
The poorest nations with the least resources and which have had the least to do with the climate emergency are being left to deal with humanitarian problems.
Climate-related displacement is still not considered to be an important global issue. The United Nations (UN) Charter still does not recognise climate refugees – those who cross international borders to find safety – let alone internally displaced persons due to changes in the climate.
The UN Human Rights Committee handed down a landmark decision last January, after a 2015 case was brought by Ioane Teitiota from the small Pacific island nation of Kiribati seeking protection in Aotearoa/New Zealand as a climate refugee. His claim was denied by the NZ government.