Jean Lambert MEP – London’s Green MEP


Green MEP marks Refugee Week with call to protect asylum seekers and act on climate change

Press release, 22nd June 2005

London’s Green MEP, Jean Lambert today called for action to protect and not persecute asylum seekers, and for leaders to make the link between climate change and ‘environmental refugees’.  Mrs Lambert today drew attention to an important NGO report, which should force world leaders to make the connection between poverty in Africa and climate change: 

“18 leading NGOs this week drew attention to the crucial link between the issues of climate change and poverty in Africa, in an important new report, 'Africa - Up in Smoke?'

“It is clear that poverty will not be alleviated, development will not be sustainable and trade policies will never become 'pro-poor' if the poorest communities remain vulnerable to increasingly volatile climactic conditions. Under conditions of global warming, desertification, threats to reliable local water supplies, loss of land due to rising sea levels and crop reduction will undermine the livelihoods and very existence of small-scale farmers across much of the poor parts of the world – and that clearly means Africa. The risk of conflict over scarce resources will rise.”

Mrs Lambert went on to mark Refugee Week by calling for protection and not persecution of asylum seekers, and for the recognition that ‘environmental refugees’ (1) were increasingly being displaced by climate change:

“It is significant that the NGO report is launched in Refugee Week. It is vital that we offer protection and not persecution to asylum seekers. Refugee week is an important opportunity to call for this, and to denounce governments such as our own that prefer persecution to protection. We must also ask why people are forced to leave their homes and families and seek asylum and address those factors.

For some time I've been drawing attention to the phenomenon of 'environmental refugees' – those people who are displaced and forced to leave their homes, not because of conflict or war, but because their environment has become so degraded or damaged that they can no longer survive there or make a livelihood.”

She called for greater action to address these interconnected issues, including more far-reaching steps to combat climate change:

“If Tony Blair and the other world leaders are serious about these issues they must acknowledge that they interconnect. Action on Africa and action to ensure that people are not tragically forced to become refugees will only be effective if there is tough and extremely far-reaching action on climate change.”

ENDS

Note
(1)    Jean Lambert’s report “Refugees and the Environment’ is available at http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/downloads/reports/0206Ref_Env_Rep.pdf or from her London office.
Contact:  020 7407 6269 / 00 32 2284 7507 / jeanlambert@greenmeps.org.uk