I think the fact that you live in Uganda can offer a great perspective on this issue. There are of course many approaches to this issue, and I can only give you some pointers in some directions, and maybe Vikram also can recommend you some useful insight.

As you are a law student, there are many interesting law aspects that you can develop a working thesis on. I worked on the legal aspects of the European Union when it came to the environment and displacement. I looked closely on 2 directives regulating the rights of persons fleeing/displaced. I basically found that there is a ‘protection gap’ for persons displaced as a result of climate change or other environmental causes. Hopefully this research can contribute to the current review in the EU of these directives.

From the top of my head there are a few angles that you can pursue in your region, and I am sure Vikram can add to my suggestions:
- Analysis of national frameworks and cases studies of practices in certain countries
- Analysis of the OAU Convention for Refugees, and see how it has been practiced in certain countries
- Situation for disaster displaced in Uganda

As for the terms used in this the debate of “climate refugees”, I prefer to use” enviromentally displaced persons” -even though it might seem otherwise on my web site – I have developed from when I started my research .

A definition used in my article:
“For practical purposes the descriptive term ‘(cross-border) environmentally displaced persons’ will be employed in this article to mean persons (who have crossed an international border and) for whom environmental disaster or degradation is a major cause of their displacement. This term also includes those displaced by events or processes less related to climate change. The end results for someone fleeing an earthquake, tsunami or cyclone are often the same, namely temporary or permanent displacement with particular protection needs. Climate change does not create a new type of forced migrants; it increases the frequency and severity of natural hazards which may lead to displacement”

You can also have a look at my page where I have listed most of my sources from my research. Maybe that can be useful for you to get an overview of the topic.

Is this useful as a start?

All the best,
finn

First of all, I recommend you to read the following articles:
- Kolmannskog. NRC ’Future Floods of Refugees. A comment on Climate Change and Forced Migration‘ – a very good report on this exact same issue from the Norwegian Refugee Council http://www.nrc.no/?did=9268973
- Lopez, A. (2007). ‘The Protection of Cross-border environmentally displacedPersons in International Law.’ Environmental Law
- Myers, N. (2005). Environmental Refugees: An emergent security issue. 13 Economic Forum, Session III – Environment and Migration
- Castles, S. (2002). Environmental change and forced migration: making sense of the debate. New Issues in Refugee Research.
- Black, R. (2001). Environmental refugees: myth or reality? . New Issues in Refugee Research. UNHCR. Geneva, UNHCR. 34:

They can give you some good answers to some of your questions.

In general, I would say there are several approaches that can be applied in cases where people are displaced as a result of environmental disasters (climate induced or not):

Prevention and adaptation:
- Infrastructure for disaster response/relief must be in place
- All improvements of infrastructure related to housing, roads etc will reduce potential damage from natural disasters, thus reducing the necessity for people to flee on a temporary or permanent basis
- More general development approaches related to fighting poverty will also decrease the effect of environmental change or disaster, as it is often those without resources to protect themselves or move that are hardest hit. There are normally a multitude of causes behind all displacement, and preventing environmental displacement will also involve addressing inequality and injustice more broadly.

Legal framework
- National and international legal framework needs to recognize that persons are displaced on a temporary and sometimes permanent basis as a result of natural disasters and environmental change.
- Furthermore legal channels of migration can reduce irregular migration, which can be a result when the need for protection for persons that are displaced by environmental change are not recognized.

Other measures directly related to climate change:
- All countries need climate change adaptation strategies. They also need to include measures/provisions for persons displaced by climate change, as most of them does not today.
- For those countries where areas becomes permanently inhabitable, resettlement programmes can be a solution.

These are just some of the measures.

Is this helpful?

Good luck with your paper.