[APWW-Meet] Natural disasters contribute to rise in population displacement

[Roberto Savio <soros@other-net.info>]

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Natural disasters contribute to rise in population displacement=20
Environmental News Network
=20
There are now more than 11 million refugees worldwide, the United =
Nations refugee agency has warned as the world celebrates World Refugee =
Day.
A new report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR)says =
conflicts, climate change and rising food prices are some of the factors =
leading to the rise in global displacement to 11.4 million refugees =
worldwide-up from 9.9 million last year.

World Refugee Day will be marked by a whole range of events taking place =
around the globe today, with a focus on the fundamental need for =
protection. Meanwhile UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ant=C3=B3nio =
Guterres is on mission in Kenya, where he visited a refugee camp on the =
Kenyan-Somali border and a camp for internally displaced Kenyans in the =
town of Naivasha.

The International Federation of Red Cross says climate change disasters =
are currently a bigger cause of population displacement than war and =
persecution.
The global impact of the environment on human livelihoods is creating a =
new kind of casualty-the environmental refugee. Rising sea levels, =
increasing desertification, weather-induced flooding, and more frequent =
natural disasters have, and will increasingly become a major cause of =
population displacement in several parts of the world.

According to a report published by the United Nations University, there =
are now about 19.2 million people officially recognized as "persons of =
concern"-that is, people likely to be displaced because of environmental =
disasters. This figure is predicted to grow to about 50 million by the =
end of the year 2010.

These forecasts are not inevitable and will hinge on whether the =
international community can pull together and deliver a decisive and =
meaningful agreement on climate change at the UN climate convention =
meeting in Copenhagen in 2009, alongside more intelligent management of =
the planet's nature-based assets.=20

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