For the first time in history, a refugee was granted a residence permit due to global climate change.
For example, this happened last November when a resident of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, 37-year-old Ioane Teitiota, was not allowed to become the first climate refugee in the world. In his demands, the man went all the way to the highest court of New Zealand - the Supreme Court - hoping to obtain asylum, as his native island is gradually being flooded by the salty waters of the ocean. The asylum seeker claimed that his inalienable right to clean water could not be guaranteed as a result.
However, the court considered these arguments unconvincing. It was noted that many islands of the Republic of Kiribati are indeed threatened by flooding due to climate change, but the country does not yet have a humanitarian or environmental catastrophe. The court noted that the UN Convention on Refugee Rights provides protection from persecution only on racial, religious, national, political grounds or due to membership in a particular social group.
It would seem that the case regarding the possibility, or rather impossibility, of being recognized as a climate refugee had already been closed. However, in early August, another New Zealand court, the so-called Immigration Tribunal, did recognize a refugee application for asylum due to threats related to climate change. The case involves a native of the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu, Sigao Alesana, his wife, and two children aged five and three. The immigration authorities' decision notes that the asylum seeker's children, due to their young age, are at risk of life from the consequences of natural disasters and climate change. In addition, all of the Polynesian's relatives already live in New Zealand. According to the family's lawyer, Carola Curtis, the Tuvaluans thus became the first officially recognized climate refugees in the world.
The state of Tuvalu is located on five atolls and four islands of the same-named archipelago. The total land area is 26 square kilometers, and the population of the country is just over 11,000. Most climate experts do not rule out the possibility that the island nation could actually sink due to rising sea levels. However, it seems that New Zealand's population will soon increase by 11,000.
Ksenia SCHMIDT,
"Russkaya Germaniya".