CLIMATE CHANGE COURSE

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Climate refugees are not a problem, are the result of contemporary consumer behavior.
By: Jos Leonardo Estrada / http://lnkd.in/fmVgvd

In a class on Risk Management and Climate Change spoke on the topic of natural disasters and the consequences that had these on human settlements , in the course of the class, the teacher said something that made sense , disasters are NOT natural , as it was not a natural condition of the territories house populations on the slopes of the mountains, the river banks , on wetlands , among others. Thus the room understood the importance of man in the phenomena of nature and responsibility as human beings to respond to the need for regulation of the cycles of the planet . Currently, human settlements in high risk areas are a reality that must be undertaken , whole countries, cities, villages or small settlements around the world are suffering the consequences of climate change, which according to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate change (IPCC ) that by 2080 , between 1.1 and 3.2 billion people will feel scarcity of water, between 200 and 600 million people suffer from hunger and from 2 to 7 million people are affected annually due to flooding . Currently , according to the International Federation of the Red Cross , between 25 and 50 million people are on the Status of " Climate Refugees ". To estimate the damages related to climate change should take into account numerous variables that make it difficult to accurately assess what the number of people affected and at what cost . However, at present different research fronts worldwide have agreed as to the responsibility of man within due to accelerated climate change consumer behavior and challenging mass production models . Thus, if you are looking forward to determine numbers of victims who will climate change , begin a stage of reconstruction of existing economic models where the environment is valued ecosystem relationships over the supply and demand. Climate refugees also suffer forced displacement conditions must assume significant challenges when migrating , because in many cases come to places where they are discriminated against for cultural, language , or the difficulty of finding work in rural areas, which do not have a comprehensive offer for workers who come from the

CLIMATE CHANGE COURSE

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
countryside whose skills are often based on agriculture or tourism in the regions from which they came . In some situations the displacement of people due to weather may be temporary , cases that can be controlled by temporary refugee centers and food supplies by the state while normality returns . Different case when the displacement must be definitive , as in the case of extreme floods , drought or natural disaster phenomena . Migration also begin to exert high pressure on neighboring territories , as in the case of drought , where usually perform subsistence crops begin to expand to regions around fertile still , creating soil erosion , polluting aquifers and increasing the area of desertification. The problem is not the "climate refugees" , but rather the consumption habits of the population living usually in big cities , greater purchasing power , because they are the places that require greater resources , and its having an increasing amount of waste . Hunger and poverty in poor countries and emerging economies is the sign of the inequality that exists in the world , where "just pay for sinners " whose condition is the evidence. External Cost for polluting the poor end up paying the places who are often established in areas of high risk. Although within the definition of " refugee " declared the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1951 , which says " A person who owe owing to a well -founded fear of being Persecuted For Reasons of race , religion , nationality , membership of a social group or political special view, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or , owe owing to Such fear , is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of That Country , or who , not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of Such events , is unable or , owe owing to Such fear , is unwilling to return to it .. " . Where reasons are excluded within the Status climate type , the state must exercise public policy to grant another status where they open the opportunity to mitigate the problems faced considering that according to data from the International Federation of the Red Cross the number of people displaced by climate is greater than those displaced by violence or political reasons in the world. If humans change our consumption habits by reducing the use of fossil fuels , deforestation and uncontrolled emission of greenhouse gases , could generate adaptation and climate change mitigation to reduce the

CLIMATE CHANGE COURSE

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
chances of future disasters , consequently climate , generate agreements and pacts with communities to sustainable land use , involving mechanisms for Cleaner Production, sustainable Agriculture , Integrated Risk Management Disaster and start with a culture of protection of ecosystems, due to the importance of the services they provide to society . To cater to the "climate refugees" in urban areas must develop strategies and plans to open the opportunity to practice agricultural activities within the cities , providing the opportunity to open new markets sustainable from the perspective of urban agriculture , increasing production within cities, likewise increasing the green areas by a social dynamic in which farm products are offered , raised in the inner city , creating spaces of awareness , food security and social opportunity opportunities. The task of caring for refugees rather than the state, should be a social commitment of the people of all nations of the world, especially the younger generation, who should be the ones to commit to market developments by new demands focused on respect for the environment , the responsible use of fossil fuels , innovation and development within the product offering as well as academia should focus on research and development of clean technologies that facilitate climate change adaptation and mitigation contaminants in the atmosphere and in the geosphere . The state must provide society opportunities for research and development of materials and clean technologies , environmental education from school , environmental quality standards more stringent in the industry , higher rates for polluting , more incentives for the states to conversion to environmental technologies , the total prohibition of pollutants that damage the ozone layer , among other tools of political, economic and moral . Seems to be a difficult challenge , but the only way to avoid an increase in environmental problems in the world is the rethinking of current economic activities , development policies focused countries potentiate industrialization and sustainable green markets . Social equality of opportunity and the distribution of wealth, by investing in clean technologies in poor countries and emerging economies , are also part of the pillars on which the policy should emphasize. The rich countries should not be measured by their levels of production, but by the natural

CLIMATE CHANGE COURSE

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
wealth present to meet the challenges that are associated with climate change such as rising sea levels , the melting of the snow-covered hills , rising temperature, drought, species extinction, water availability , among others. Considering an action usually involves a series of effects that show a scenario abhorrent . Future generations have the right to enjoy the environmental services provided by the planet (landscapes , natural foods , clean air, fresh water , rain, the sun , the diversity of plant and animal species , etc. ) . Human beings just as we are obliged to start small actions , to start changing the backward mentality devoid of new ideas and initiatives to promote and multiply as joint mitigation actions aimed at stopping climate change , to make the planet a worth area offer space for many generations to come . Respect for the environment , should be more than a struggle of science to postpone the expiration date of the human race should be a moral struggle to defend the space matching reasons was given for the evolution of the race that we , the human race.
Concluding: The responsibility for climate refugees is not the state, is of society in general. Even so, the developed economies should make economic contributions in poor countries in order to reduce vulnerability, increase resilience . International organizations should define common goals to start more powerful and effective policies to reduce the risks from climate change . The commitment of industrialized countries is the tab key to generating strong changes in the dynamics of consumption. Environmental education is one of the fundamental pillars to strengthen the change in the thinking of generations , which should be focused on improving the consumption habits and clean development mechanisms . Future generations have the right to enjoy a healthy environment, to have the resources that currently exist , which can only guarantee the quality of life. The protection of ecosystems along with its ecosystem services , are critical for improving weather conditions , because in these dynamic systems generated water regulation , geological, biological, among others, for the planet by purging contaminants such as snubber in floods, agriculture, etc. . The change begins with small actions , multiplied across every inhabitant of the planet rather than global equities , controlled exclusively by world governments .

CLIMATE CHANGE COURSE

UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
References:
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/climaterefugee/?ar_a=1 http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/climate-refugee1.htm UNHCR: States Parties to the Convention and Protocol

http://www.redcross.org.au/files/The_Humanitarian_11.pdf
http://www.ipcc.ch/ IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change