Background: Climate change is increasingly recognized as a fundamental driver of human displacement. Rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, intensifying cyclones, and unpredictable precipitation patterns are disrupting livelihoods and forcing communities from their homes. While migration has historically been a human adaptive strategy, the scale and compulsion associated with climate-induced displacement challenges existing humanitarian, legal, and policy frameworks. Objective(s): This paper examines the principal mechanisms through which climate change drives human migration, analyses the demographic and geographic profiles of climate migrants, evaluates the adequacy of current international legal frameworks to protect climate-displaced persons, and proposes evidence-based policy recommendations to address this escalating global challenge. Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed academic literature, reports from intergovernmental organisations (UNHCR, IOM, IPCC, World Bank), and case studies from climate-vulnerable regions was conducted. Thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns in drivers, destinations, and policy gaps. Comparative analysis of legal instruments was undertaken to assess protection deficits. Results: Evidence indicates that climate change currently displaces an estimated 21.5 million people annually, with projections suggesting 216 million internal climate migrants by 2050 under moderate warming scenarios. Slow-onset events, including desertification and sea-level rise, produce sustained displacement, while sudden-onset disasters generate acute migration surges. The most affected populations are in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Small Island Developing States. Existing refugee law does not recognise climate displacement, creating a significant protection gap. Conclusions: Climate-induced migration represents one of the most pressing humanitarian and governance challenges of the twenty-first century. The existing international framework is inadequate to protect climate migrants. A multi-pronged response — encompassing legal recognition, adaptation financing, managed retreat programmes, and bilateral migration agreements — is urgently required. Early, ambitious climate action remains the most effective long-term preventive measures.
