Earth Day inspiration: 7 ways refugees are taking action for the planet
Learn about how refugees all over the globe are showing love for the planet!
Earth Day is a day of action — organizing cleanups, planting trees, and advocating protection of our shared home. On all continents, refugees are leading by example.
People who have been forced to flee their homes due to war or persecution are among those most affected by climate change and environmental degradation. Many refugees, internally displaced people (those who have fled their homes but remain inside the borders of their country) and stateless people live in climate “hotspots” that are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures and climate related disasters, including floods, drought, heatwaves and tropical storms.
On the front lines of the climate crisis, refugees are taking action in their own communities to tackle the root causes and effects of climate change. Forcibly displaced people around the world are engaging in sustainable farming, planting trees, installing clean energy solutions, responding to climate disasters, reducing waste, and advocating environmental awareness.
This year, get inspired by 7 ways refugees and others forced to flee are protecting their new communities, and fighting for Mother Earth.
#1 Sustainable farming
Sustainable agriculture meets the needs of current and future generations by ensuring healthy soil, preserving water and reducing pollution. Refugees bring their knowledge and novel techniques to their new communities.
In Maine, USA, resettled Somali refugees started New Roots Cooperative Farm. Drawing from traditional techniques learned in Somalia, they provide sustainable chemical-free vegetables to their community. According to their website, “Our people are farmers and we have always fed our country. Now we are growing food for our new communities in Southern Maine.”
The farm sells their produce at farmer’s markets, directly to their neighbors. Buying locally reduces pollution from transportation. The farm also avoids using plastic packaging.
“Our people are farmers and we have always fed our country. Now we are growing food for our new communities in Southern Maine.”
#2 Planting trees
Planting trees reduces the risk of dangerous flash-flooding and landslides in flood-prone areas and helps combat desertification. Refugees and host communities are leading tree-planting initiatives, which in addition to stabilizing the soil, can help restore native species and biodiversity to an area.
In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, home to the world’s largest refugee camp, flash flooding and dangerous landslides have increased due to the impacts of climate change and deforestation.
“This place was like a desert, there were no trees,” recalls resident Mohammad Ali.
In response, Mohammad joined other camp residents to lead reforestation efforts to re-green the area. So far, volunteers have replanted over 600 hectares of greenery!
“This place was like a desert, there were no trees”
#3 Green energy
More than half of the greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change come from fossil-fuel driven energy. At the same time, according to UNHCR data, 97% percent of displaced people have limited or no access to electricity. Refugee camps across the world are harnessing the power of renewable energy: improving access to electricity, lighting, and clean cooking allows refugees and host communities to meet their energy needs safely and sustainably.
This is exactly what Vasco Hamisi, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is doing. Vasco owns Okapi Green Energy, which was created to bridge the energy gap in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. The Okapi Green mini-grid in Kakuma camp provides reliable and affordable solar energy to 200 refugee businesses and homes in the camp. This means households can power their daily energy needs, while showing love for the environment!
#4 Responding to extreme climate events
Climate change has increased the probability and frequency of extreme weather events, and with 40% of displaced people living in climate-vulnerable countries, according to data compiled by UNHCR, refugees are at the frontlines in responding to extreme climate events like typhoons, wildfires, and flooding.
In Mauritania, bush fires have increased, destroying the natural environment and posing a problem for the many families whose livelihoods depend on herding. Refugees living in Mbera camp, along with local community members, assembled a fire brigade to fight local wildfires.
Mohamed Cheikh Macire, the prefect of the department of Bassikounou, explains that protecting the natural environment is a goal that both refugees and hosts can unite on: “Whenever there is a fire, we call on the Refugee Fire Brigade. We all work together to put it out.”
“Whenever there is a fire, we call on the Refugee Fire Brigade. We all work together to put it out.”
#5 Protecting biodiversity
Refugee guardians of nature are fighting climate disasters, promoting ecological diversity, and preserving our natural environment.
Bees play an important role in the ecosystem. Ten years ago, scientists in the UK thought the native black honeybee was on the brink of extinction. But they are making a comeback, thanks in part to beekeepers like Ryad Alsous.
A refugee from Syria, Ryad is a former professor of agriculture at Damascus University who was resettled in the UK in 2013. He brought with him his expertise and passion for beekeeping and environmental protection. He has helped to reintroduce native species to the area, and even started a nonprofit called the Buzz Project to train other refugees on beekeeping.
Although being forced to flee his beloved home has been challenging, Ryad finds peace in his bond with nature: “Bees mean to me peace, they mean to me safety. They mean to me life.”
#6 Reducing waste
According to the UN Environment Programme, eight million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, while burning plastic waste releases dangerous pollutants into the air. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, global goals for a sustainable future, urge responsible consumption and production. Refugees are leading beach and river cleanups, giving recycled materials a second life, and finding new uses for discarded materials.
In Algeria, Tateh Lehbib has created an innovative way to build sustainable homes: using discarded plastic bottles! Using bottles filled with sand as bricks, he constructs round homes which are both a solution to plastic waste and an efficient way to keep out the desert sun.
“People still see me as the guy obsessed with recycling bottles and building unusual houses,” he says.
While his creative idea earned him the nickname “crazy with bottles,” he was able to build over 25 new sustainable and comfortable homes for refugees from Western Sahara.
“People still see me as the guy obsessed with recycling bottles and building unusual houses”
#7 Activism and advocacy
So, we have seen that refugee leaders are at the front lines of the impacts of climate change — but they are also driving climate advocacy, activism, and research. These leaders are working to shape policy change and lead their communities to a better future.
Take Barthelemy (Barth) Mwanza. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Barth is a journalist and activist who is passionate about fighting climate change and bringing refugee voices to the table. He speaks at events and workshops around the world to show the important role of young refugee voices in the climate conversation. He also attended the first ever Global Youth Climate Summit in New York to drive policy change for climate action.
Happy Earth Day!
Written by UNHCR Communications Intern Chiara Moslow and UNHCR Communications Officer Pauline Eluère
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.
