Conference Agenda

Despite the enormous attention paid to the traditional causes of human trafficking, the debate on the relationship between climate change and human trafficking seems to be less explored to date.

This paper intends to investigate this interconnection, in light of the increasingly alarming extent of climate change.

This phenomenon is likely to determine new migratory routes and, in general terms, will put a strain on livelihoods, increase poverty and food insecurity, cause job losses or deteriorate working conditions.

These factors disproportionately increase vulnerability to trafficking and could also worsen the conditions of those who are already victims of trafficking, reinforcing their dependence on the criminal network and undermining their chances of escape and emancipation.

After providing an overview of the actual extent of this correlation, the paper will explore whether and how this interconnection may be relevant for the legal protection granted to the persons concerned, in the case of irregular migrants. The discussion will start from some Italian rulings that have recognized international protection to victims of human trafficking also affected by climate change (Tribunale di Firenze, decisions of 3 and 10 May 2023) through an evolutionary interpretation of the refugee definition provided by the 1951 Geneva Convention. It therefore seems interesting to verify if the same reasoning is equally applicable to potential trafficking victims, made vulnerable precisely because of climate-induced natural disasters, or, alternatively, what other forms of protection could be granted in such cases, within the framework of international and European law.

The non-refoulement obligation has been the object of an in-depth analysis in both International and EU Law. However, its concrete application still appears uncertain in some situations, including climate-induced migration. In its 2018 General Comment (GC) No 36, the Human Rights Committee (HRC) clearly stated that environmental degradation can be brought within the scope of a violation of the right to life under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/36, 30 October 2018, para. 62). Starting from the Teitiota v New Zealand case (HRC, Teitiota v New Zealand, UN Doc CCPR/C/127/D/2728/2016, 24 October 2019), the possible role for the non-refoulement obligation in the context of climate-induced migration has been highlighted (paras 9.6-9.13). However, the HRC has established a very high threshold as regards the violation of Article 6 of the ICCPR, so that only in the direst of circumstances an individual can find concrete protection. This outcome does not seem coherent with the HRC finding according to which the right to life is not restricted to mere existence but encompasses a wider scope “to be free from acts and omissions that are intended or may be expected to cause their unnatural or premature death, as well as to enjoy a life with dignity” (HRC, GC No 36 (2018), para. 3). This paper intends precisely to explore the scope of application of the non-refoulement obligation in the context of climate-induced migration through the lens of the protection of human “dignity” in International Law.

Climate change is having a profound impact on our lives, going beyond environmental concerns to drive transformative societal changes. Although often imperceptible in the short term, its effects can be seen in statistical trends, such as the rise in global temperature of around one degree over the past 150 years. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including hurricanes and prolonged droughts, have increased sharply, with the number of natural disasters doubling in the last two decades. These phenomena have triggered population movements, highlighting the interplay between climate and mobility. Climate-induced migration can be broadly categorised into three processes: voluntary or semi-voluntary migration, forced displacement and planned resettlement. Despite its growing importance, this type of migration is often sidelined in public discourse and omitted from many climate policy agendas. The increasing frequency of climate-related disasters and the resulting migration patterns raise critical questions about societal attitudes towards these new migrants. For example, would granting formal 'climate refugee' status foster greater acceptance among local populations? While existing research has focused heavily on individual socio-economic predictors of attitudes towards migrants, the specific dynamics surrounding climate migrants remain underexplored. Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and BERT models, this paper seeks to unravel the nuanced public discourses of climate migrants in newspaper articles in Europe (Italy, Spain, Lithuania, and Finland) and the United States. The results show differences not only between the two continents, but also within European countries. Political polarisation and populist discourses were also found in the news articles.

With the accelerating degradation of ecosystems, biodiversity loss, pollution, and the escalating climate crisis, green human rights have emerged as a critical area of academic and policy discourse. Green human rights encompass the right to clean air, access to safe drinking water, preservation of biodiversity, and the responsible use of natural resources. These rights extend the scope of traditional human rights and address the urgent need for environmental justice and intergenerational equity. However, despite their growing importance, the conceptual framework and operational definitions of green human rights remain fragmented across disciplines, with varying terminologies, classifications, and interpretations.

This presentation will outline the results of a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of green/environmental human rights literature, offering insights into publication trends, key contributors, thematic clusters, and knowledge gaps. Complementing this quantitative review, qualitative content analysis will explore how green human rights are understood as potential catalysts for social innovation. Specifically, the study will examine how green human rights can inspire new legal instruments, social movements, governance models, and technological or cultural innovations to strengthen societies’ adaptive capacity in the face of environmental crises and climate change.

The originality of this research lies in its dual analytical approach—combining bibliometric mapping with qualitative exploration of green human rights as a driver of social innovation. Previous research has largely overlooked this perspective. Based on the findings, the presentation will propose a future research agenda to advance this emerging interdisciplinary field.