PhD research: From causation to threshold: Developing a Refugee law based policy support system for climate displacement tested through African case studies

Date
October 2025 to September 2029
Countries
Keywords
refugee law
cross-border displacement
climate change governance
regional governance
policy support system
Research fields
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Law and Political Science

This project aims to develop a threshold-based policy support system (PSS) to guide the protection of people displaced by climate change. Drawing inspiration from the ‘well-founded fear’ standard in the Refugee Convention, the model integrates legal criteria, human rights principles, and environmental data to identify when protection measures should be activated. While it will be piloted in Africa, the system is designed for broader regional and global application. The outcome of this research will provide a policy tool that can assist regional bodies, international organisations, and governments in shaping more consistent protection responses to climate-induced displacement.