Working green to ensure a sustainable future for refugees and those affected by displacement

Climate change and environmental degradation have redefined the humanitarian sector as we know it, with increasing evidence pointing to climate change as one of the most prominent triggers of internal displacement. And its effects on livelihoods are severe.

Rising temperatures are impacting productive landscapes, rising sea levels are likely to have a severe impact on island states and coastal communities, and extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and floods, are contributing to conflict and food insecurity.

Climate change and environmental degradation are threat multipliers

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reported 33.4 million new internal displacements in 2019 alone, with over 24.9 million people fleeing due to natural disasters. Although not all these disasters can be linked to climate change directly, the effects of climate change and environmental degradation play a part in exasperating the challenges already faced by the displaced.

And while these numbers are unsettling, “climate change does not act in a vacuum. It is a threat multiplier which deepens vulnerabilities and inequalities,” as Dr. Caroline Zickgraf said during the Danish Refugee Council’s first Global Event on Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Displacement.

Climate change affects countries disproportionally and countries that are already facing social, political, environmental, economic, or demographic challenges are hit the hardest. These are often countries mostly affected by forced displacement in the first place. These challenges are, thus, aggravated with climate change, making the conditions for the internally displaced, refugees and host communities even more difficult, impacting women and girls even more acutely.  

Think green in humanitarian operations

The consequences of climate change and environmental degradation on displacement affected communities do not only have the potential to accelerate pre-existing conflicts over natural resources but may also deepen the communities’ vulnerabilities as livelihoods and living conditions worsen and trigger new conflicts.

For this reason, it is important to think green both in emergency and long-term humanitarian responses to adequately protect and support people affected by displacement. DRC strives to strengthen and expand its response and protection capacity for displacement-affected people to reach those who find themselves in challenging circumstances due to climate change and environmental degradation.

We do this by working with local communities and experts to adopt and promote regenerative approaches and circular economies from the very design phase of the initiative, be it an emergency or long-term response.

We do so by collaborating with local communities and stakeholders, and by consciously seeking to mitigate our carbon footprint through relevant environmental policies.

The Resilient Colline Project – an example to follow

When approaching the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation, DRC focuses on working with nature to restore its natural functions, as seen in the Resilient Colline Project in Burundi, benefitting both internally displaced persons, returnees and the host community.

By mimicking the natural functions of biology and waterflows in landscapes, DRC’s experts work with, learn from and train local communities to use permaculture-based design and the natural patterns and contours of the land to passively harvest water and rebuild living soils.

In doing so, both flood and drought are mitigated, the soil is deeply hydrated, and the destructive energy of the water is turned into production.

By approaching the issue regeneratively, the local community can increase their food security throughout the year and prevent the destructive potential of both the dry and wet season in the region. By introducing sustainable design, the communities become self-sufficient and circular, paving the way for a better future where water scarcity is a thing of the past. 

DRC Climate Action

Addressing the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation is vital in assisting forcibly displaced persons, both those who are displaced internally and beyond the borders of their home country. DRC strives to collaborate with communities, local officials, technical experts, academics, the private sector, and other practitioners to constantly grow and evolve our operations with climate change and environmental degradation in mind.