Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, displacing a global annual average of 26.4 million people due to climate-related disasters. Currently, over 1.1 million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon due to climate-related drought and subsequent war, with 320,000 who remain unregistered by the UNHCR. Unregistered refugees are restricted from accessing services, shelter, and financial means for survival and risk arrest, detention, and deportation by Lebanese authorities for not having proper documentation and paid residency fees. These consequences are felt the most in refugee camps along the Syrian-Lebanese border region such as Bekaa, Lebanon. Despite the presence of humanitarian aid, refugees in camps are left in legal limbo, deprived of accessing the right to have rights. Specifically, for climate refugees, international treaties or future mitigation mechanisms are lacking, exacerbating their vulnerability. Therefore, this research questions the physical and social experiences of unregistered Syrian climate refugees in the Jarrahieh camp, Bekaa, Lebanon. The intention is to determine how these refugees, without official status, are impacted and coping with current federal and international legislative measures. By working with the refugees and key local actors, this research aims to understand how solidary and community organization can be formed within the current legal system to facilitate smoother adaptation and resettlement for climate refugees. Using participatory observation, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and archival research, the practical outcome is a solidarity group that is established, run, and evaluated by a sample of unregistered Syrian climate refugee men and women aged 18-65.
Environmental migrants, climate ‘refugees’ and sun-seeking expats