INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REFUGEES: THE ABSENCE OF A LEGAL STATUS FOR PERSONS DISPLACED BY NATURAL DISASTERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/07n1wy09Keywords:
Environmental refugees; International law; Forced displacement; Natural disasters; International protection.Abstract
This article examines the lack of legal recognition of so-called environmental refugees within the framework of International Law, focusing on human displacement caused by natural disasters. It departs from the classical concept of refugee established by the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, emphasizing the centrality of the persecution requirement as a defining element of the international protection regime and, simultaneously, as an exclusionary factor for individuals affected by environmental causes. The study explores the growing incidence of forced displacement linked to extreme natural events and the inadequacy of traditional legal categories to address such situations. In this context, it discusses the absence of a specific legal status and the limitations of existing international instruments, which fail to ensure effective protection for these individuals. It also analyzes state responsibility in situations of natural disasters, with reference to the case Budayeva and Others v. Russia, which acknowledges state duties within the human rights framework but does not resolve the legal classification of environmentally displaced persons. Through a critical-analytical approach, the article argues that this gap stems from structural constraints of the international system, including state sovereignty, conceptual indeterminacy, and normative fragmentation, highlighting the need for legal development.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Antônio Ferreira do Norte Filho, Marco Antônio Ribeiro Frota Moreira, Lucy Paes Barreto Affonso, Yasmin Carneiro Guimarães da Silva
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