LET'S CEE Film Festival Katalog 2017

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Do environmental refugees enjoy special protection? The "Convention relating to the Status of Refugees" – the official title of the Geneva Refugee Convention (GRC) – of 1951 and the supplementary protocol of 1967 are referred to as the "Magna Charta" of refugees and remain the most important international documents for the protection of refugees to this day. The Convention defines who is a refugee and what protection, but also what obligations go along with it. Article 33 contains the prohibition to expel or return a refugee "in any manner whatsoever beyond the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion." According to Article 1 A of the Geneva Convention, a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country". People who are forced to leave their homes due to climate change and environmental disasters are not covered by the Geneva Refugee Convention and therefore do not fall under the protection of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). As long as they remain in their own country as internally displaced persons, their home country supports them and they are subject to the laws applicable there. But when they cross national borders, there is a protection gap. Source: Klimaflucht und Umweltflüchtlinge. Ein LpB-Dossier (lpb-bw.de) (in German) 1.3 Examples: How the climate crisis and flight are linked When natural disasters, conflicts and displacement come together, the effects are devastating. The consequences of climate change affect us all – but refugees are particularly vulnerable. Three stories from Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Niger make it shockingly clear: Nicaragua: Unpredictable weather, political consequences Until two years ago, David Cruz owned his own land in Nicaragua, where he raised cattle and chickens and grew tomatoes and chilies. But this way of life was threatened even before his involvement in the protests made him a target of political persecution. Over the years, the climate in his region of Nicaragua had become drier and more unpredictable. When it rained, it was often torrential, damaging David's crops. "My crops were failing," he says. "And because the authorities had basically declared me the 'enemy,' they made it impossible for me to get loans I needed to replant." Climate change alone didn't force David to abandon his farm and flee to Costa Rica, but for him and a growing number of people around the world, it played an instrumental role in his escape. 6
24.9 million climate-related displaced people in 2019 © Cattle during the dry season in Nicaragua (wikimedia.org) In 2019, weather-related hazards triggered some 24.9 million displacements in 140 countries around the world. Most climate change-related displacement occurs within national borders. People fleeing extreme weather events such as hurricanes, cyclones, and floods tend to stay as close to home as possible and return when the floodwaters have receded. Climate change amplifies the effects of other threats that lead to displacement – worsening poverty and pressuring resources and governance – in ways that can fuel conflict and violence. Afghanistan: Shrinking snowmelt, growing insecurity The link between climate change and insecurity is also evident in Afghanistan, where steadily rising temperatures are leading to changing rainfall and snowmelt patterns and an increased risk of flash floods. In 2018, a drought reduced the livelihoods of tens of thousands of households in the country's rural northwest. Ghulam Sakhi, 45, and his family lived in a mountainous region in Ghor province, where they relied on winter rains and snow to fill their well, cultivate their land and grow grass for their animals. When the rain and snow failed three years ago, "we lost everything," he says. "We sold our animals for a third or a quarter of their price. When the money ran out, we had no choice, but to go somewhere where we could earn a living." For the past two and a half years, Ghulam and his family have been living in makeshift housing in a camp for internally displaced people south of Herat city, where they rely on humanitarian aid. In the meantime, insecurity in their home region has worsened, further diminishing prospects of returning. "When I lived there, the security situation was not good, there was drought and there was the Taliban. But now there are more Taliban and they are better armed," Ghulam says. "I pray to God for peace so that my children can study and feel safe and comfortable." 7
Page 1 and 2: Didactic Materials EU Youth Cinema:
Page 3 and 4: 1. Climate Change and Flight 1.1 Wh
Page 5: 1.2 Who are environmental refugees?
Page 9 and 10: After more than a decade of watchin
Page 11 and 12: 2. Film: STOLEN FISH 2.1 Key facts
Page 13 and 14: Mariama STOLEN FISH - scene with Ma
Page 15 and 16: disastrous consequences: to the env
Page 17 and 18: the decline of fish in the sea and

LET'S CEE Film Festival Katalog 2017

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?