The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that approximately 90 million refugees and forcibly displaced people worldwide face increasing climate-related threats, including droughts, floods, and extreme heat. The agency noted that three-quarters of displaced people live in countries highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

In a report released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Türkiye, UNHCR highlighted how increasingly severe weather events are compounding the hardships faced by people displaced by conflict, violence, and persecution. The report revealed that weather-related disasters triggered more than 255 million instances of internal displacement over the past decade, while only 10% of global climate financing reaches fragile and conflict-affected countries.

UNHCR urged governments and international financial institutions to take urgent action by including refugees and displaced communities in national climate strategies and allocating additional funding to strengthen their protection and resilience against climate-related disasters.