Dear John,

First of all, we’d like to say huge thank you to everyone who participated in our Earth Day 🌍 Survey this year. We had hundreds of responses, sharing your thoughts on how climate change impacts refugees and what people can do to help. Here are the top results from each category:

Q. How concerned are you about the impacts of climate change on a scale of 1-5 (1 being not at all, and 5 being very concerned)?

The survey revealed that a staggering 70% of you are very concerned about the impacts of climate change, while another 17% are somewhat concerned.

Q. Do you take any actions to help reduce climate change?

It was clear that the majority of you are actively helping to reduce climate change. Here are the top actions you told us that you are taking:

🗣️ 63% Discussing climate change with your friends and family

💧 62% Taking steps to reduce your energy, water, and resource consumption

🍃 56% Adopting a climate-conscious diet and lifestyle

📢 53% Participating in environmental movements/campaigns

🌱 47% Supporting or engaging in green space conservation

Q. Tell us why you might not have already participated in climate change action?

One of the most common answers was an uncertainty in how to get involved. Below are ways to get involved:

📣 Raise awareness: Start by sharing information with your community about the impact of climate change on displaced populations. Visit our website for more information

💻 Take action: Visit our climate change page to explore other ways on how you can directly contribute to our initiatives

💙 Make a donation: Support refugees and displaced people impacted by climate change. Whether it's providing access to clean water, renewable energy, or disaster-resistant shelters, every donation makes a difference in building resilience for vulnerable communities

Q. In your view, how does climate change affect refugees?

All answers scored high in this question, highlighting how widespread the issue of climate change is:

➡️ 79% Threatens basic human rights of those forced to flee, including the right to life, water and sanitation, food, health, and housing

➡️ 78% Increases loss of livelihood and can result in increased poverty

➡️ 76% Climate change can cause further forced displacement

➡️ 71% Affects countries that are home to many displaced people and are vulnerable to climate impacts

➡️ 70% Strain on natural resources can strain relations between displaced people and host communities

Q. Which of the following climate actions do you think UNHCR is involved in?

More than 70% of you knew about our work engaging with displaced communities on environmental preservation, as well as strengthening climate-resistant livelihoods and disaster preparedness. You also knew about our work with governments to support the development of laws and policies related to displacement and climate change. However, just 52% of you were aware that we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint by lowering emissions, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and enhancing supply chain sustainability.

Q. Which of the following activities would you be willing to take part in to help support refugees affected by climate change?

We were incredibly encouraged by the answers to this question.

📖 65% Educate yourself about how climate change affects refugees

✊ 62% Volunteer for climate actions that benefits refugees

📝 62% Participate in advocacy actions such as signing pledges

Q. Do you have any ideas on what else can be done to support refugees and displaced people affected by climate change?

You provided an amazing and inspiring array of answers to this final question. But the most common theme was education: providing people with the knowledge and the resources to counter the effects of climate change, and to be active participants in fighting against the climate crisis.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and helping us to shape our work around supporting people displaced by climate change.

Monia Hassan
International Supporter Care
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

P.S. If you have any more thoughts or ideas you’d like to share, then don’t hesitate to get in touch by replying to this email.