Climate change is not only about the planet, it is about people. The changing world we live in challenges how we should live our lives day to day alongside changing the locations where we are able to do so. Climate refugees give a face to the issue of climate change. This is not is not only about where people will move to, but it challenges the idea of living in a state-centric system. When people are displaced, the whole international system is turned upside-down. The current system is inadequately prepared to deal with climate refugees. As Navy Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn states, “addressing the changes in the Earth’s climate is not simply about saving polar bears and preserving the beauty of mountain glaciers. Climate change is a threat to our national security”. The world today is forcing people to compete over limited natural resources and one of those resources happens to be the land itself. The only way to deal with the issue of climate refugees is by preventing it from occurring. If we do not begin to discuss this issue then a serious question remains: can we reverse the changing climate before it comes at the cost of displacing 150 million people around the world?

Outline:
- Introduction
- Brief Background on Climate Change
- Environmental Disasters
- Confluence of issues: adding in overpopulation and food insecurity
- Pacific Islands
- Moving closer to home: Alaska/New Orleans
- Challenging sovereignty/legal implications
- Looking to the Future