ABSTRACT
In the next section, I shall explain why refugee status and the right to asylum ought to be extended to the group picked out above, but need not be extended to others displaced or facing displacement from climate change. The number of people who face serious difficulty from climate change is very large in comparison to the number who would be picked out by this account, so it is important to see why only this group must be given this particular form of aid. But, before showing that, it is necessary to reiterate two points. First, there will often be a moral obligation owed by the international community or by individual states to people harmed by climate change other than that I discuss here. That a person or group is not properly thought of as a refugee does not mean that they are not in need of, or owed, other forms of aid. Secondly, and relatedly, this is only one small part of what may be owed to those harmed by climate change. It would be foolish to think that extending refugee protection, or even granting other forms of migration rights, could solve all of the problems that are likely to arise. So, this approach will not solve all or even most problems. But, it is, I shall argue, and important piece of the proper international response to climate change, and so worth working out in some detail. As I have argued before, making our duties clear is one important step to fulfilling them (Lister 2013).
