UN refugee agency warns nearly 90M displaced people face severe climate risks

Nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people worldwide face severe climate-related hazards, including droughts, floods and extreme heat, the UN refugee agency warned on Friday.

In its latest report, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said nearly three in four forcibly displaced people globally live in countries facing high to extreme exposure to climate-related hazards.

The agency called for "urgent action" to protect refugees and other displaced people from worsening climate impacts ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

"Refugees face a double injustice. Forced to flee conflicts they did not cause, they are now on the frontlines of a climate crisis they have contributed least to," said Anton Leis Garcia, UNHCR's assistant high commissioner for operations.

Leis Garcia said climate change was not a "distant threat" for millions of people but was already undermining their livelihoods.

He warned that the world "cannot allow those who have already lost so much to be left behind in global climate action."

The UNHCR report also stressed that climate change was threatening the prospect of lasting solutions for displaced people.

It underlined that "more than two in three" refugees returned home during the first half of 2026 went back to countries vulnerable to climate hazards.

Extreme heat, floods threaten displaced communities

"Extreme heat is another growing threat," the report said.

"By 2050, one in three refugee settlements across sub-Saharan Africa could face at least 100 days of dangerous heat each year," it warned.

More than half of the locations assessed could experience at least 50 additional days of dangerous heat annually, according to the report.

UNHCR said weather-related disasters had triggered more than 255 million internal displacements worldwide over the past decade, averaging around 70,000 daily.

The agency also warned of further displacement risks linked to severe flooding.

"Forecasts indicate that severe flooding associated with a very strong El Nino could displace up to 3 million people across Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda by the end of 2026, depending on the severity of the floods," it said.

Climate finance falls short

The report highlighted the growing risk of statelessness linked to climate change.

Nearly 90% of the world's 4.7 million reported stateless people live in countries facing high to extreme climate hazards, according to UNHCR.

"Without legal recognition, many struggle to access disaster relief and support to adapt, leaving them particularly vulnerable," the agency said.

Despite growing risks, fragile and conflict-affected countries receive only around 10% of global climate finance, the report noted.

"We need climate financing to reach the communities where the needs are greatest," Leis Garcia said.

"Refugees and their host communities must be part of these investments, not an afterthought," he added.

UNHCR said it would urge governments and institutions at COP31 to include refugees and displaced people in national climate plans and financing mechanisms.

"As Türkiye, one of the world's largest refugee-hosting countries, hosts COP31, the conference offers an important opportunity to place displacement and the needs of host communities firmly within global climate action," the agency said.