Environmental refugees: The new challenge in international environmental law

Abstract

This article suggests the need to review the legal concept of “refugee” in order to expand it to new social realities, such as those resulting from the degradation of the environment either because of natural causes or human activities. The regulation of the so-called “environmental refugee” by the international law is indispensable to fill a legal vacuum and provide sufficient legal protection to the increasing number of people displaced for environmental reasons.