• The renowned NGO Oxfam released a report on Climate Change in the Pacific this week. It is worth a read, as it highlights the changes that are already taking place in the pacific and for the people living there and what must be done. I can recommend the report itself and a short description at the towardsrecognition.org website.
• The Financial Times also covered the issue summarizing some of the debate the topic of environmental migration/displacement and using illustrative examples in their weekend issue some time back.
• The Economist also dedicated a few pages on the topic in an article in their last June issue, called “A new (under) class of travellers“
• CARE International, UN University  and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at the Earth Institute of Columbia University launched a report in May called “In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement“, and is also worth a read:

I do not have time to write summaries of each and every one of these sources, but I hope it can be useful to know about their whereabouts at least.

Furthermore, the EU should also formulate a policy in response to recent developments such as the increasing impact of climate change on migratory movements.

And page 9 says:

Explore the relationship between climate change and migration and gain a better understanding of the number of people affected now and in the future.

Even though a communication such as this is non-binding for member states, is it at least a step towards a more firm approach to the issue of climate change and migration.

Climate change, migration and forced displacement: the new humanitarian frontier?
Climate change is projected to add to the scale and complexity of human mobility. What instruments/tools are available to the international community to meet this new humanitarian challenge? Will new tools and paradigms be needed to address large-scale internal displacement and cross-border flows?

I look forward receiving reports from this session and I promise to post it here as soon as I have something.

The increased interest for climate change and displacement is resulting in more and more written contributions in the area. This week I stumbled upon a few more web sites and articles related to the issue.

• The UNHCR published in October a policy paper on Climate change, natural disasters and human displacement: a UNHCR perspective. They also have a very good web site with an overview of many papers on the issue. 
• Forced Migration Review dedicated its October Issue to Climate Change and Displacement. It contains many interesting articles on the issue.
• Mikhail Gorbachev’s Green Cross Australia branch have dedicated quite a lot space on their site, publishing many interesting articles on the topic.

Other interesting things happening:

• Last week an adaptation conference was held in Netherlands. Read the outline of the conference here.
• A seminar is planned in Copenhagen on the 10th of December, by the Danish institute for International Studies, on Migration and Climate Change.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that the Government of the Maldives is planning to buy up land through an investment fund in order to pre-empt their population status as climate refugees. This is the first initiative that I have heard of where states are considering to buy up land elsewhere to house their population in the event of rising sea levels and increased extreme weather.

The only similar adaptation measure which aims at permanently relocating a population could be the Asian Pacific Category of New Zealand, as mentioned earlier in this blog, which aims to resettle 75 to 150 persons from some selected pacific islands each year.

Many states are producing and implementing climate change action plans and equivalent, but it seems as the displacement aspects often are ignored, as pointed out in several comments recently made to the `Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan` (BCCSAP ) that the forced migration aspect, or displacement aspect, is ignored.

Can anyone let me know if there are any other resettlement schemes or similar adaptation measures initiated to address the issue of climate refugees or environmentally displaced persons?