Ioane Teitiota just wants a safe home where his family has a future, but his quest may set a legal precedent with global ramifications. Teitiota could become the world's first legally recognized refugee from climate change. Teitiota comes from the small South Pacific island of Kiribati. If sea levels continue to rise as a result of climate change, Kiribati will disappear under the waves in less than 100 years. Already, flooding is forcing residents to move inland as tides breach seawalls and obliterate crops. On that basis, Teitiota has applied for refugee status in New Zealand, claiming his homeland is no longer safe. If the New Zealand court agrees, other developing countries can expect their own flood of new refugee applications. ...
Read more at the Vancouver Sun: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Climate+change+refugees+coming+country+near/9209125/story.html#ixzz2lmWwxbZp