Question 13799 — refugees and stateless persons

Summary

Ms. Mereana Reid Arbelot draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the urgency of launching a diplomatic initiative with a view to developing a binding international legal framework intended to protect people displaced due to climate change and to the particular responsibility of France with regard to its nationals of French Polynesia directly exposed to rising waters. In French Polynesia, climate change is no longer a projection but a measurable and immediate reality. In several Tuamotu atolls, whose altitude rarely exceeds one to two meters above sea level, the rise in sea level, the intensification of weather phenomena and the degradation of coral reefs are already compromising homes, public infrastructure and fresh water resources. THE Projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirm a significant rise in sea levels by the end of the century, while work from the National Center for Scientific Research highlights the structural vulnerability of low-lying Pacific islands. These scientific data cover a human reality: French citizens risk losing their homes, their lands, their places of residence. memory and, ultimately, the very possibility of living in their territory of origin. Anticipation cannot therefore be postponed until tomorrow. French Polynesia is suffering the full brunt of the consequences of a disruption for which it is not responsible, which establishes a particular demand for national solidarity. However, international law in force, in particular the Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees, does not recognize displacement linked to climate change as an independent basis for protection. This gap creates major legal uncertainty as environmental displacement becomes inevitable. The referral for an advisory opinion to the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in the face of climate change marks an important development and tends to establish the protection of affected populations as a requirement of the law international. In this context, France, as a Pacific power, of which French Polynesia constitutes an integral part, cannot delay anticipation of this question. What does it intend to do with its French nationals if certain territories become uninhabitable? What initiatives does it intend to take to develop international law and guarantee, when the time comes, full and legal protection? to the Polynesians forced to leave their island, so that none of them is left without a clear status or effective guarantee of their rights? She wants to know his position on the subject.

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