UN: 250 Million Displaced by Weather Disasters — Urgent Calls at COP30 in Belém, Brazil

UN warns millions displaced as climate crisis intensifies

The United Nations says climate-related disasters, combined with conflict, have forced millions from their homes as world leaders gather for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) published its report No Escape II: The Way Forward to coincide with the conference, concluding that weather-related disasters prompted roughly 250 million internal displacements over the past decade.

Key findings

The report stresses that climate shocks are both a direct driver of displacement and a multiplier of existing vulnerabilities. "Over the past decade, weather-related disasters have caused some 250 million internal displacements — equivalent to over 67,000 displacements per day," the agency says. UNHCR highlights recent extreme events including floods in South Sudan and Brazil, record heat in Kenya and Pakistan, and severe water shortages in Chad and Ethiopia.

Looking ahead, the agency warns the number of countries classed as extremely exposed to climate hazards could rise from 3 to 65 by 2040. Those 65 countries already host more than 45% of people displaced by conflict, underscoring the overlap between climate risk and fragile settings.

“Extreme weather is destroying homes and livelihoods, and forcing families — many who have already fled violence — to flee once more,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “These are people who have already endured immense loss, and now they face the same hardships and devastation again.”

Heat, camps and worsening exposure

The report projects that by 2050 the 15 hottest refugee camps — in countries such as The Gambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Senegal and Mali — could face nearly 200 days per year of hazardous heat stress, a life‑threatening condition for vulnerable populations living in overcrowded, poorly ventilated settlements.

Funding shortfalls and the need for action

UNHCR warns that while climate impacts grow, political and financial commitments to address them are weakening. The agency notes that the United States, once the largest donor and historically responsible for more than 40% of UNHCR’s funding, reduced aid under the Trump administration, and other donors have also tightened budgets. "Funding cuts are severely limiting our ability to protect refugees and displaced families from the effects of extreme weather," Grandi said, urging that climate financing reach communities already living on the edge.

UNHCR is calling on COP30 participants to deliver concrete finance and policies to prevent further displacement and to support those already uprooted.

Negotiations and contested policies

About 50,000 participants from more than 190 countries are expected in Belém to discuss mitigation, adaptation and finance. One contentious agenda item is the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), intended to prevent "carbon leakage" by pricing embedded emissions on imports. Supporters say CBAM encourages greener production; critics — including major trading partners and many developing countries — argue it risks protectionism and shifting costs onto poorer nations.

UNHCR’s report is a stark reminder that climate policy and finance are humanitarian as well as environmental priorities: without urgent, well‑targeted action, millions more people may be forced to flee their homes in the years ahead.