Podcasts about disaster displacement

The fires in Los Angeles, fueled by drought and the notorious Santa Ana winds, have wreaked devastation on the largest county in the United States, taking at least 10 lives and destroying thousands of structures as of January 10—with much of the Los Angeles metropolis, suburban neighborhoods like Pasadena and Pacific Palisades engulfed in smoke, and tens of thousands of residents without homes. In this episode, environmental law expert Deborah Sivas joins Pam Karlan for a discussion of California's fire crisis, examining how climate change and urban development are making residents more susceptible to the dangers of fires. They also look at air quality, rebuilding challenges, insurance strains, and the broader implications for urban planning, labor, and environmental recovery, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable solutions in an era of intensifying climate impacts.Connect:Episode Transcripts >>> Stanford Legal Podcast WebsiteStanford Legal Podcast >>> LinkedIn PageRich Ford >>>  Twitter/XPam Karlan >>> Stanford Law School PageStanford Law School >>> Twitter/XStanford Lawyer Magazine >>> Twitter/XLinks:Deborah A. Sivas >>> Stanford Law page(00:00:00) Chapter 1: Introduction, the Santa Ana Winds, and Fire DynamicsHost Pam Karlan introduces environmental expert Deborah Sivas. The two discuss the Santa Ana winds, their origins, and their role in fueling wildfires. They explore the interaction of high winds, parched landscapes, and the growing impact of climate change on fire frequency and intensity.(00:06:49) Chapter 2: Urban Fires and the Wildland-Urban InterfaceThe conversation shifts to the challenges of wildfires in urban and suburban areas. Sivas explains fire ignition sources, the difficulty of containment, and the need for defensible spaces. She highlights the vulnerability of areas at the wildland-urban interface and discusses practical steps to reduce fire risk, including vegetation management and retrofitting structures.(00:12:37) Chapter 3: Air Quality and the Broader Impacts of FiresSivas and Karlan examine the devastating effects of wildfire smoke on air quality, especially in densely populated regions like Los Angeles. They discuss how urban fires release toxic pollutants and disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. The chapter emphasizes the broader environmental and health consequences of wildfires in an era of climate change.(00:16:46) Chapter 4: Climate Change, Insurance Challenges, and Recovery EffortsThe conversation shifts to the economic challenges posed by climate disasters, focusing on California's wildfire insurance crisis. Sivas explains private insurance limitations, the state's FAIR program, and rebuilding challenges, including rising construction costs and environmental cleanup.(00:23:17) Chapter 5: Firefighting, Displacement, and Economic ImpactKarlan and Sivas explore the complexities of wildfire response, including the reliance on inmate labor and firefighting logistics. They also discuss displacement, long-term housing issues, and the socioeconomic toll on affected communities and businesses.

We are diving into a mini-series exploring the connection between the climate crisis, migration and human rights. During the first of these episodes, we have the pleasure to talk to Walter Kälin, professor emeritus of international and constitutional law, at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Walter Kälin is the present Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement. With his help, we are aiming to get the numbers and facts right, and to understand the big concepts that govern the discussion, for example "forced displacement". We are also taking a look at political responses at the international, regional and national levels.   Sources: “Intolerable tide” of people displaced by climate change: UN expert | OHCHR Climate change and displacement: the myths and the facts Data reveals impacts of climate emergency on displacement | UNHCR Climate change could become the biggest driver of displacement: UNHCR chief | UNHCR Asia Pacific IDMC_GRID_2023_Global_Report_on_Internal_Displacement_HQ.pdf Groundswell Report Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2023 Session of the UNHCR Executive Committee - A Statement by Argentina - Platform on Disaster Displacement Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility | Global Forum on Migration and Development Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change | UNFCCC

Dear listeners, It is with a little heart pinch that we are back in the studio one last time to welcome our last guest this season, Chloé. In her thesis, Chloé studied how considerations of justice - across different dimensions and definitions of justice - are taken into account in planned relocation policies. Across two case studies in Europe, Chloe explores how, in the face of reoccurring floods, governments have organized the relocation of entire communities who were at risk, and what measures can be adopted to make these processes more fair.  After taking time to understand the impacts of floods and the various adaptation responses available, we focus on planned relocation. Using Chloé's two case studies, we explore the intricacies of these policies, their impacts on different populations, and how to minimize the latter. We also explore the very notion and definition of justice in those contexts, as well as how to tangibly - and ideally - integrate them into policymaking.  Here is Chloé's LinkedIn if you want to connect with her.  And here are the resources she recommends on the topic:  And here are the resources she recommends on the topic:  Siders, A. R., Hino, M., & Mach, K. J. (2019). The case for strategic and managed climate retreat. Science, 365(6455), 761–763.  Hino, M., Field, C. B., & Mach, K. J. (2017). Managed retreat as a response to natural hazard risk. Nature Climate Change, 7(5), Article 5.  Schlosberg, D. (2007).  Defining Environmental Justice: Theories, Movements, and Nature. Oxford University Press.  Wienhues, A. (2020).  Ecological Justice and the Extinction Crisis. Bristol University Press. Bower, E. R., & Weerasinghe, S. (2021). Global Mapping: Leaving Place, Restoring Home. Disaster Displacement. (Link here) As always, stay curious - and thank you so much for following us in our intellectual exploration this semester! 

In dieser Episode sprechen wir über Migration und Flucht – und darüber, wie die Klimakrise Menschen zu Vertriebenen macht. Dürren, Überschwemmungen, Zyklone, Erosion und der steigende Meeresspiegel zwingen heute bereits Millionen Menschen zur Flucht, vor allem in Afrika, Asien und im Pazifik. Doch anders als Kriegsvertriebene, geniessen sie keinen Schutz unter der Genfer Flüchtlingskonvention von 1951. Oft sind sie komplett auf sich allein gestellt. Wir sprechen mit Walter Kälin, emeritierter Professor für Staats- und Völkerrecht und Sondergesandter der «Platform on Disaster Displacement», darüber, wie Klimavertriebene besser geschützt werden können. Und Seraina Nufer, Co-Abteilungsleiterin Protection bei der Flüchtlingshilfe Schweiz, erzählt uns, welche gesetzlichen Änderungen notwendig wären, damit Klimavertriebene in der Schweiz einen besseren Schutz erhalten würden. Und weshalb der Globale Migrationspakt der UN eine Chance für mehr reguläre Migration wäre – eine Chance, gegen die sich die Schweiz 2018 entschieden hat.

Dürren, Überschwemmungen, Zyklone, Erosion und der steigende Meeresspiegel zwingen heute bereits Millionen Menschen zur Flucht, vor allem in Afrika, Asien und im Pazifik. Doch anders als Kriegsvertriebene geniessen sie keinen Schutz unter der Genfer Flüchtlingskonvention. Oft sind sie komplett auf sich allein gestellt. Wir sprechen mit Walter Kälin, emeritierter Professor für Staats- und Völkerrecht und Sondergesandter der «Platform on Disaster Displacement», darüber, wie Klimavertriebene besser geschützt werden können. Und Seraina Nufer, Co-Abteilungsleiterin Protection bei der Flüchtlingshilfe Schweiz erzählt, welche gesetzlichen Änderungen notwendig wären, damit Klimavertriebene in der Schweiz einen besseren Schutz erhalten würden. Und weshalb der Globale Migrationspakt der UN eine Chance für mehr reguläre Migration wäre – eine Chance, gegen die sich die Schweiz 2018 entschieden hat.

“Now more than three times as many people are displaced by climate disasters and extreme weather events than conflict or violence.”

A Kaldor Centre Virtual Conference 2021 key panel session held on 20 October 2021. What do we know, how do we know it, and what more do we need to know to inform policies on climate change, disasters and mobility? When the issues are as contested as climate and migration, a key challenge is simply agreeing on transparent, credible, actionable data. Hear from Vicente Anzellini, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre; Tautala Mauala, Samoan Red Cross; Andrea Milan, International Organization for Migration; Kira Vinke, Center for Climate and Foreign Policy; and chaired by Sanjula Weerasinghe, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law affiliate member.

A Kaldor Centre Virtual Conference key panel session held on 19 October 2021. When people are on the move from the impacts of disasters or climate change, how does the law help or hinder them? Is refugee law useful? Human rights law? Migration law? What about regional free movement agreements? How is individual agency enhanced or eroded by legal frameworks? What about people who move but don't cross an international border, and what about people who can't move at all? Our experts will reflect on how these questions are answered across different times and places. Hear from Bruce Burson, New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal; Lucy Daxbacher, Head of Mission to Uganda, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); Walter Kälin, Envoy of the Chair, Platform on Disaster Displacement; Caroline Zickgraf, Deputy Director, The Hugo Observatory; and chaired by Tamara Wood, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law.

In our latest podcast episode of “On Human Rights” we spoke with Sabira Coelho about the topic of the right of people that are, and can potentially be, displaced in the context of the Pacific region. Sabira Coelho currently serves as the Programme Manager at International Organization for Migration Fiji (IOM)for the three-year joint-programme, “Enhancing protection and empowerment of migrants and communities affected by climate change and disasters in the Pacific Region”. The Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s Head of the thematic area People on the Move, Matthew Scott, visited Suva in Fiji for a roundtable discussion on his research on Disaster Displacement in the Pacific region with a focus on Vanuatu and Solomon islands: https://rwi.lu.se/disaster-displacement/

Today we speak with Alaskan Robin Bronen about her vital work in addressing the severe climate crisis unfolding throughout the Arctic region where temperatures recently reached 38C in a region that is meant to stay frozen all of the time! Though often ignored by much of the world, what happens in the Arctic will affect us all. As permafrost melts, as pack ice melts, as glaciers melt, not only does human habitation become increasingly difficult, but this is accompanied by the release of massive quantities of methane gas which is a far worse contributor to worsening climate change than CO2. Thousands of Alaska's indigenous residents are facing the prospect of permanent relocation, and resultant landlessness and homelessness with only sporadic government support to these increasingly vulnerable populations. Episode 29 is a wake up call for everyone, everywhere, so please listen closely and determine how best you can help to stop these horrible developments. Jointly Venturing again would like to thank Robin for today's episode and for her amazing work on behalf of the people of the Arctic and beyond. We dedicate Episode 29 to the indigenous people of Alaska and throughout the Arctic who by no fault of their own stand to lose everything as climate change threatens their very existence. Robin Bronen lives in Alaska, works as a human rights attorney and has been working with Alaska Native communities since 2007 on the issue of climate-forced relocation. She is a senior research scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology. She is also the cofounder and executive director of the Alaska Institute for Justice, a non-profit agency that is the only immigration legal service provider in Alaska, houses a Language Interpreter Center, training bilingual Alaskans to be professional interpreters, and also is a research and policy institute focused on climate justice issues. She worked with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to implement President Obama’s Climate Change Task Force recommendation to address climate displacement. She works as an expert on climate-forced planned relocations as a member of the advisory group for the Platform on Disaster Displacement, an international consultative process intended to build consensus on the development of an international human rights and protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced in the context of natural hazards, including the effects of climate change. Her research has been featured in the Guardian, CNN, and others and she regularly presents her research at conferences focused on climate change adaptation, disaster relief reduction and climate change and population displacement. The Alaska Bar Association awarded her the 2007 Robert Hickerson Public Service award and the 2012 International Human Rights award. The Federal Bureau of Investigation awarded the Alaska Institute for Justice the 2012 FBI Director’s Community Service award, the International Soroptimist’s awarded her the 2012 Advancing the Rights of Women award and Victims for Justice awarded her the 2014 Advocacy Award.

As the planet heats up, where can people go? Learn more on this exciting episode: Increasing Migration Due to Climate Change: Conversation with Alex Randall and also awesome co-host Sarah Chang. On Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.  With Study Guide - click on PDF: https://multi-hazards.libsyn.com/increasing-migration-due-to-climate-change-conversation-with-alex-randall Alex Randall's Bio Alex Randall is a leading specialist in the connections between climate change, migration and conflict. He is programme manager at the Climate and Migration Coalition. He has been working on issues around climate, migration and human rights for 15 years. He advises a number of key international agencies and governments on their responses to climate-linked migration and displacement. Alex has also served on the advisory group of the Nansen Initiative and Platform on Disaster Displacement. Alex has written extensively on climate change and migration for the Guardian, Le Monde Diplomatique, New Internationalist, Prospect and numerous other outlets. He is the author of a number of book chapters focusing on the connections between climate change and the rights of refugees and migrants. Alex is currently leading the course ‘Climate change and migration: predictions, politics and policy’. The course is the world’s first free online course focused on the politics and policy of climate migration.

US Midwest floods are prompting workers to migrate to safer ground, according to LinkedIn data. This report is by Sebastien Malo for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, with editing by Jason Fields. The report is provided by The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, covers climate change, humanitarian news, women's and LGBT rights, human trafficking and property rights. news.trust.org/climate. For more information about climate refugees, a term which does not exist in international law, please visit the UNHCR.org website and read about Climate Change and Disaster Displacement. The focus? Families and communities forced to leave their homes in other nations and what is known as “Destination States.” For video reports, lease visit TheYearsProject.org and see trailers on Climate Refugees. New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman uncovers why people are leaving their homes. If you are concerned about population movement due to climate effects and other factors such as diminishing agriculture yields, these videos are a must-see. Music, "Nearing The End," by Neil Cross courtesy AudioBlocks.com. This podcast was produced by Climate Monitor Media, Inc.

Although cross-border displacement affects local communities, international efforts to address it typically take place at the highest levels. How can affected communities make their voices heard in these intergovernmental negotiations? This week, Ravi and Grant sit down with Walter Kaelin, Envoy of the Chair at the Platform on Disaster Displacement and former Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons. Kaelin has been at the forefront of these intergovernmental processes, and he discusses how they've sometimes generated solutions - and sometimes been detached from them. Displaced is a production by the International Rescue Committee and Vox Media. You can read more about this episode in our show notes. Join our conversation about climate change by tweeting your thoughts to @grantmgordon and @rgurumurthy. Make sure you include the hashtag #DisplacedPodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evidence matters. Yet even before “fake news” became a political weapon, it’s been notoriously difficult to get evidence into the policymaking process. How can we keep good evidence from being overwhelmed by bad politics? In this conversation, moderated by ABC Radio National journalist Eleanor Hall, three world-renowned experts talk about their experience from the front lines of research and policymaking in contentious areas – climate change, refugees and, where the two meet, climate change- and disaster-related displacement. Professor John Church is Australia’s most credentialled expert on sea-level rise and a long-time research scientist with the government CSIRO. He joined UNSW in 2016 as a professor in the Climate Change Research Centre, so he’s seen Australia’s approach to science and international obligations from inside and outside government. UNSW Scientia Professor and Kaldor Centre Director Jane McAdam is a pioneer in research on climate change- and disaster-related displacement, advising governments and international organisations including UNHCR. In 2017, her work in this field was described as 'transformative' by the jury of the prestigious Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Human Rights, which she was the first Australian to win. Walter Kälin has extensive international experience as scholar and policymaker, most recently serving as Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement (and formerly of its predecessor, the Nansen Initiative on Disaster-Induced Cross-Border Displacement), providing strategic advice and leadership to this state-led process working towards better protection for people in the context of disasters and climate change. Professor Emeritus for international and constitutional law at the University of Bern (Switzerland), he has served the United Nations in various capacities, including as Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons and twice as a member of the UN Human Rights Committee.

More and more we are hearing stories about “climate refugees.”  U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell used the term to describe the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe, a community which this year became the first to receive federal funding to relocate in its entirety from their sinking island home on the Louisiana coast. Yet climate change-induced migration and displacement actually “falls outside of the more traditional protection regimes like the refugee treaty,” says Maxine Burkett, a public policy fellow with the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program, in this week’s podcast. “Most of the migration that's going to happen as a result of climate change happens internally within countries,” Burkett says. Managing such movement is clearly the purview of national governments. The harder question is how to deal with those who move across international borders. The UN Refugee Convention was agreed to by states in 1951 and establishes clear protections and specific circumstances under which those protections can be invoked, namely political persecution and the threat of violence. Climate change – which researchers are finding can play a role in displacement, migration, and vulnerability, though not always as a clear, primary driver – cannot currently be invoked by asylum seekers in search of refugee status in another country. And since the legal definition isn’t codified, descriptive labels such as climate refugee do not bind states to any responsibilities. This is “a yawning gap in our conversation,” Burkett says. “What are we asking the others to do in order to meet our rights?” “Without the right name or legal nomenclature, the rights of those within country and especially those in foreign countries – their status rights – are uncertain...The importance of nomenclature in the advancing of human rights is significant.” The Nansen Initiative, established by Switzerland and Norway in October 2012, was created in response to the lack of legal frameworks for climate change-induced cross-border migration and displacement. It began with the aim of creating protections for those displaced by climate change, but pivoted to address all disasters. Its successor is now simply the Platform on Disaster Displacement. “What is paramount, I think they would argue, is to meet the needs of those who are migrating by assigning and allowing them to exercise their rights,” Burkett says. “Nevermind why they had to move.” Yet doing so has costs. Combining climate change-induced problems with other environmental issues, despite the difficulty in parsing causes, “scrubs” the downstream discussion of “significant rights language that would be more reparative than simply accommodating,” she says. “Climate change is not a random, thoughtless act of God, but something other,” Burkett says. The systems of rights and reciprocations we agree on in response should reflect this. In the meantime, the initial inequity of anthropogenic climate change – that those who are most vulnerable are by and large the least responsible for creating the problem – is perpetuated as, at best, the displaced can only hope that someone lets them in. Maxine Burkett spoke at the Wilson Center on June 22, 2016. Friday Podcasts are also available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

Some IDPs living in protracted displacement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, such as many Roma IDPs, were especially vulnerable to the effects of the May 2014 flooding and landslides.