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The Environmental Causes and Consequences of

Migration: A Search for the Meaning of "Environmental
Refugees"
By Keane, David
Publication: Georgetown International Environmental Law Review
Date: Thursday, January 1 2004

You are viewing page 3

The term "natural disasters" refers to events such as volcanic eruptions, droughts, earthquakes and all other
types of disaster generated by an unstable natural environment. Natural disasters have been a major cause of
migration throughout history.

In 1998, for the first time since records have been kept, natural disasters accounted for the displacement of
more persons worldwide than wars or other conflicts.7 It is estimated that 144 million people per year are
affected by natural disasters.8 Natural disasters tend to displace persons temporarily rather than permanently.
The 1990s were declared the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction by the United Nations.
However, the Geoscience Division of the Munich Reinsurance Group confirmed that in recent years natural
disasters have increased significantly.9 This is in part due to the global temperature anomalies known as El
Nino and La Nina.10 1998 was also the hottest year since record-keeping began 150 years ago.11

A fundamental point in relation to natural disasters is that they disproportionately affect Africa, Asia, and South
America. Specifically, Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Iran, and India appear far more
frequently than any other countries on the list of countries warranting humanitarian intervention maintained by
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.12 Ninety-six percent of all deaths from
natural disasters occur in developing countries.13 It is interesting to note at this point that it is anticipated that
eighty percent of the world's population will live in developing countries by the year 2025.14 The impact of a
natural disaster is often directly related to the income level of a particular country. The above countries are
amongst the poorest in the world. El-Hinnawi, in his study of environmental refugees, compared the effects of
earthquakes in Tokyo, Japan with those of earthquakes of a similar magnitude in Managua, Nicaragua. In
Managua, people live in mud-brick houses on hillsides, while in Tokyo, there are strict building codes in place,
as well as earthquake training. He concluded that the effects of earthquakes have been successfully mitigated
in Japan.15 Kofi Annan closed the International Decade for Disaster Reduction by stating that "[i]t is a tragic
irony that 1998, the penultimate year of the Disaster Reduction decade, was also a year in which natural
disasters increased so dramatically . . . . We must, above all, shift from a culture of reaction to a culture of
prevention."16 Combating natural disasters requires a better policy alternative. Because natural disasters
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