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Imagine your entire homeland slowly disappearing beneath the waves. That is the terrifying reality for Tuvalu, a tiny island nation on the frontlines of climate change. With rising sea levels threatening to engulf their homes, the 11,200 people living in Tuvalu have been offered access to permanent residency in Australia as a future provision on climate mobility. While a quota of 280 people per year applies, this announcement is still notable as the first climate-related resettlement of its kind.

While RACS is yet to represent clients seeking asylum on the basis of climate-related displacement, climate change as a driver of refugee issues is an emerging issue we expect will only continue to grow in the near future. As people in our region find their homes unsafe and even unliveable due to rising sea levels, they may well turn to Australia for protection.

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