9 Feb 2011

Climate change tipped to spark immigration wave

8:22 am on 9 February 2011

A new report claims New Zealand could have to deal with an influx of climate change immigrants within the next 30 to 50 years.

The Asian Development Bank report predicts a number of small Asian and Pacific countries will become unihabitable because of cyclones and rising sea-levels.

The purpose of the report is to urge governments in the region to start preparing themselves for the consequences of climate change, including where those who will be displaced will migrate to.

The document says the displacement will be compounded by a predicted explosion of population growth in Melanesian countries such as Kirabati.

One of those behind the research Bart Edes says environmental migrants are not currently refugees by definition, so there is no obligation for other countries to accept them.

He says the report is a wake-up call which governments and policy makers ignore at their peril.