Copenhagen, Climate Change 'Refugees' and the Need for a Global Agreement

The effects of climate change will cause large-scale human displacement. However, neither the UNFCCC process nor the December, 2009 Copenhagen Accord contemplates or addresses the issue of displacement, notwithstanding their focus on adaptation; the UNFCCC is not designed for and cannot appropriately address the problem of climate change displacement, and cannot easily be altered in order to accommodate climate change displaced persons (CCDPs). This article outlines the nature and the scope of the climate change displacement problem and establishes why a governance framework for CCDPs is required. The article then sets the detail of an international convention for CCDPs.