90 million displaced people at risk from climate threats: Report

Nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people are living in countries increasingly exposed to climate-related droughts, floods and extreme heat, the UN refugee agency said on Friday, warning ahead of the COP31 climate summit that more funding is needed to help vulnerable communities adapt. Nearly three-quarters of the world’s forcibly displaced people are living in countries such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh that are exposed to severe climate-related risks, according to the report by the agency, known as UNHCR, published ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Turkey. The findings show the overlap between conflict, displacement and climate change, the report said. 
“Climate adaptation in fragile and displacement-affected areas is a matter of survival,” said Anton Leis Garcia, UNHCR’s ⁠assistant high commissioner for operations. “We need climate financing to reach the communities where the needs are greatest,” he said. The report highlighted the experience of a Sudanese refugee who fled conflict in al-Fashir in June 2023 to the Farchana refugee settlement in eastern Chad. The refugee said she sometimes goes a week without finding safe water and must walk increasingly long distances for alternative sources as nearby seasonal riverbeds dry up amid intensifying heat.
The agency also warned that climate change is making it harder for displaced people to return home and rebuild their lives. More than two-thirds of refugee returns during the first half of 2026 were to countries highly exposed to climate hazards, increasing the risk of renewed displacement.Syria is among the countries facing these challenges. Nearly four million displaced people have recently returned, but worsening water scarcity and erratic rainfall are threatening recovery. Flooding along the Euphrates River in May also damaged homes and displaced thousands, the report said. 
The risks are expected to intensify in parts of Africa. By 2050, one in three refugee settlements across sub-Saharan Africa could experience at least 100 days of dangerous heat every year. In some settlements in Ethiopia, including Helaweyn, extreme heat could persist for more than 200 days annually, raising the risk of heatstroke and premature deaths. UNHCR also warned that a forecast strong El Niño could worsen climate-related threats and trigger further displacement. Severe flooding in East Africa could displace up to three million people across Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda by the end of 2026.
The agency pointed to a major gap in climate financing, saying only around 10 per cent of global climate finance reaches fragile or conflict-affected countries. It urged governments and climate-finance institutions attending COP31 to increase support for adaptation in communities hosting displaced populations. COP31 is scheduled to take place in Antalya from November 9 to 20. UNHCR is calling for refugees and other displaced people to be included in national climate plans and climate-financing mechanisms.