A Conservative think tank has argued that new climate visas should be created to allow victims of natural disasters to come to the UK, and to bring in skilled workers needed for the transition to net zero.
Onward, whose co-founder Will Tanner recently became Rishi Sunak’s deputy chief of staff, is calling on the government to prepare for the likely increase in global migration due to the climate crisis.
Authors of the report called for the government to prioritise financial support for climate adaptation in developing countries and open up new legal migration routes.
“We cannot allow climate-related migration to become the defining crisis of the 21st century. The government needs to act now to build climate resilience in the most vulnerable regions and open up safe and legal visa routes for those fleeing environmental disasters,” said the report’s co-author, Ted Christie-Miller.
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The authors suggest that welcoming a limited number of climate refugees would be consistent with the government’s approach. This is despite the hardline rhetoric on the illegal immigration bill by the home secretary, Suella Braverman.
Recall that the United Nations high commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had reported that an average of 21.5 million people were forcibly displaced each year by sudden onset extreme weather events between 2008 and 2016. Citing the UK’s recent acceptance of thousands of Ukrainian refugees and Hongkongers through bespoke visa routes, the report calls for the introduction of a natural disaster visa scheme.
With major floods and droughts already becoming more prevalent as a result of global heating, the authors suggest that such a route could allow for a limited number of people displaced by climate events to flee to the UK.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
