The Climate Institute defines environmental refugees as "people fleeing from environmental crises, whether natural or anthropogenic events, and whether short or long term." An inability to gain a livelihood due to environmental degradation, natural disasters, or development projects obligates environmental refugees to migrate from their homelands. Reasons for displacement include land degradation, drought, deforestation, natural disasters, and other environmental changes that interact destructively with poverty and population pressure. There are currently between 25-30 million environmental refugees worldwide, and their numbers are expected to swell to 200 million by mid-century, largely as a result of climate change. Unlike traditional refugees, environmental refugees are not recognized by the Geneva Convention or the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), and therefore do not have the same legal standing in the international community. Español,
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