雅思阅读

📖 Reading Passage

The concept of 'environmental refugee' has gained traction in recent decades, yet its legal definition remains ambiguous. Unlike traditional refugees who flee persecution, environmental migrants are displaced by gradual ecological degradation or sudden natural disasters. This distinction matters because international law, particularly the 1951 Refugee Convention, does not recognize environmental factors as grounds for asylum. Consequently, millions of people forced to leave their homes due to rising sea levels, desertification, or extreme weather events often lack formal protection. Scholars argue that this legal gap reflects an outdated understanding of threats to human security, which now increasingly stem from ecological instability rather than political violence. Proposals to expand the refugee definition or create a new legal category have sparked debate, with some fearing that broadening the term might weaken protections for existing refugees. Nevertheless, as climate change accelerates, the pressure to address this lacuna grows, prompting calls for innovative legal frameworks that balance humanitarian needs with state sovereignty.