Climate Changed
A Tiny Island Prepares the World for a Climate Refugee Crisis
- Fiji government explores legal implications of displacement
- Project considers millions threatened by rising sea levels
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As rising sea levels threaten to leave millions homeless, a South Pacific island paradise is upstaging wealthier nations in forging a response to the unfolding crisis.
Most countries lack policies and laws to effectively respond to those displaced in low-lying coastal communities from Florida to Bangladesh, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Fiji, an archipelago of more than 300 islands, is investing $50,000 in developing a legal framework to help climate refugees relocate, according to its Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.