The Climate Justice and Human Dignity Charter for Climate‑Displaced People
Drafted for Educational Purposes - Western Michigan University (2026)
Author: Damon Llerena
The Climate Justice and Human Dignity Charter for Climate‑Displaced People
Drafted for Educational Purposes - Western Michigan University (2026)
Author: Damon Llerena
Climate‑driven displacement is accelerating as rising temperatures, sea‑level rise, extreme weather, and ecological degradation render entire regions unsafe or uninhabitable. Millions of people are already moving not by choice, but as a matter of survival. Despite this reality, climate‑displaced individuals remain largely unrecognized in international law, and existing immigration frameworks fail to address the scale and urgency of this emerging global challenge.
This Charter is modeled after the structure and tone of government policy documents such as the White House Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Migration and the U.S. Global Leadership Framework on Climate Migration. It draws on the NASW Code of Ethics, class readings, and research on climate displacement to outline a justice‑centered, rights‑based approach to supporting climate‑displaced people.
As a social work student, I ground this Charter in the core values of dignity, social justice, and the ethical responsibility to advocate for vulnerable populations. This document calls upon governments, institutions, and communities to adopt humane, coordinated, and forward‑looking policies that recognize climate‑displaced people as individuals deserving safety, stability, and respect.
All climate‑displaced people must be treated with respect, fairness, and recognition of their inherent worth. Their movement is a survival response to environmental conditions beyond their control.
Those most affected by climate change are often the least responsible for global emissions. High‑emitting nations and corporations have an ethical obligation to contribute to solutions, support displaced populations, and prevent further harm.
Climate displacement involves profound loss of home, identity, community, and stability. Policies and services must be trauma‑informed, culturally responsive, and designed to promote long‑term well‑being.
Effective climate‑migration policy must be informed by scientific research, community expertise, and the lived experiences of displaced individuals.
Climate‑driven displacement is a global issue requiring coordinated action, shared responsibility, and long‑term planning across nations and institutions.
This Charter establishes the following objectives to guide national and international policy development:
Recognize climate‑displaced people within international and domestic legal frameworks.
Create safe, legal, and accessible pathways for climate‑related migration.
Strengthen community‑level support systems for resettlement and integration.
Counter misinformation, xenophobia, and scapegoating of immigrants.
Develop trauma‑informed systems of care grounded in social work values.
Promote global cooperation and shared responsibility for climate displacement.
Governments should create a dedicated legal pathway for individuals displaced by climate‑related environmental degradation. This visa would provide temporary or permanent protection depending on the severity and duration of displacement.
The 1951 Refugee Convention does not currently recognize climate displacement. Governments should support international efforts to update or supplement the Convention to include climate‑driven migration, consistent with recommendations from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Neighboring countries and regional blocs should coordinate resettlement planning, resource allocation, and emergency response systems to ensure equitable and efficient support for displaced populations.
Governments should invest in housing, mental health care, language access, employment programs, and school‑based supports to ensure successful integration of climate‑displaced families.
National and local governments should launch evidence‑based campaigns to counter misinformation, xenophobia, and racist narratives that target immigrants. These campaigns should highlight the structural causes of climate displacement and promote solidarity.
Major emitters should contribute to displacement‑response funds, consistent with frameworks such as the Global Compact for Responsible Corporate Behavior on Climate Change. Funding should support adaptation, relocation, and community resilience.
Governments should expand infrastructure investments, disaster‑preparedness programs, and early‑warning technologies to reduce forced displacement and protect vulnerable communities.
Social workers are essential to a humane and effective response to climate migration. Guided by the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers are responsible for:
Providing trauma‑informed, culturally grounded care.
Advocating for humane and just immigration policies.
Supporting families throughout the resettlement process.
Challenging racist, xenophobic, and fear‑based narratives.
Promoting human rights, dignity, and equitable access to services.
Educating communities about the realities of climate displacement.
Climate migration is a structural issue, and social work is a profession built to confront structural injustice. Social workers must be integrated into policy development, community planning, and international coordination efforts.
No single nation can address climate‑driven displacement alone. Governments must collaborate through:
Multilateral agreements
International funding mechanisms
Shared research and data systems
Cross‑border emergency planning
Human rights‑centered migration frameworks
This Charter affirms that climate‑displaced people are not a threat, they are individuals seeking safety, stability, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
Climate‑driven displacement is one of the defining challenges of the twenty‑first century. A just response is not optional; it is a moral, social, and global responsibility. This Charter calls upon governments, institutions, and communities to adopt policies that recognize climate‑displaced people as human beings deserving dignity, protection, and opportunity.
This document was drafted with assistance from Microsoft Copilot. I guided the content, structure, and ideas based on class readings, the NASW Code of Ethics, my previous paper on climate immigrants, and social work values. Copilot assisted with organization, paraphrasing, and clarity. All ideas were reviewed and edited by me, and no copyrighted text was copied.
References
Climate Refugees. (n.d.). Climate refugees: Human rights and climate displacement. https://www.climaterefugees.org
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. (2023, January 4). Climate change likely to affect communications, remote sensing technologies. https://www.jhuapl.edu/news/news-releases/230104-climate-change-remote-sensing-impact
National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. NASW Press. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English (socialworkers.org in Bing)
The White House. (2021). Report on the impact of climate change on migration. https://www.whitehouse.gov
United Nations. (1948). Universal declaration of human rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights (un.org in Bing)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (1951). Convention relating to the status of refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/1951-refugee-convention.html (unhcr.org in Bing)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (n.d.). Climate change and disaster displacement. https://www.unhcr.org/climate-change-and-disasters (unhcr.org in Bing)
World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. (2010). People’s agreement of Cochabamba. https://pwccc.wordpress.com/support/
World Resources Institute. (2020). Responsible corporate advocacy on climate policy. https://www.wri.org