ABSTRACT
While environmental change has always caused population movements, it is estimated that the ongoing environmental degradation will lead to increasingly massive numbers of displaced in the coming decades. Faced with such challenge, existing instruments of international refugee law have shown their insufficiency. In order to fill the resulting legal gap, the various proposals submitted so far have suggested either amending the 1951 Geneva Convention, or the creation of a brand-new, ad hoc instrument. As is well understood, the realization of both suggestions is premised on a strong political engagement by States, which however remains lacking. Taking note of this state of affairs, the present contribution has the modest and more pragmatic objective of conducting an overview of temporary protection measures existing at regional and national level which are, or may be, applicable in a post-disaster scenario. This overview, while necessarily incomplete, will be followed by some considerations on current States attitudes on the subject and will explore the advantages – if any – and shortcomings of these measures.
