Winds of change - exploring the growing phenomenon of environmental refugees

Abstract

Water and society At the height of the 2015/2016 El Niño phenomenon, more than 36 million people across southern and eastern Africa faced hunger as crops failed amid widespread drought. Potentially scores of people were forced to abandon their homes by this environmental disaster. The exact number is unknown, however, as little research has been done on the subject of environmental refugees, particularly in southern Africa. All of this is about to change. On 20 June 2017, World Refugee Day, the CSIR with the WRC introduced a new project, titled ‘Kukimbia – the impact of environmental refugees in southern Africa’ (‘Kukimbia’ means ‘to flee’ in Kiswahili). The project will run until 2020. “This is a first major thrust in this direction for any institution in South Africa,” noted Dhesigen Naidoo, WRC CEO, during the launch. “The issue of migration due to environmental factors is hardly new – the environment has driven people from their homes for millennia.

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