By Melike Pala
BRUSSELS (AA) - Natural disasters forced 45 million people to flee their homes within their own countries in 2024, the United Nations said Monday, highlighting the growing human cost of climate change.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), floods, droughts, wildfires and extreme heat are driving millions from their homes every year.
In 2024 alone, disasters caused over $240 billion in losses. Behind these figures are farmers whose homes were destroyed and children whose schools no longer stand.
"Every community deserves the chance to adapt and build a safer future, but for many, the impacts are already too severe," IOM Deputy Director General for Operations Ugochi Daniels said at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) High-Level Segment in Belem, Brazil.
"But when it becomes impossible to stay, people must be able to move safely and with dignity. That is what we are working for – practical solutions that protect lives and strengthen communities," he added.
In 2024, IOM supported over 875,000 people to recover from disasters and helped more than 100,000 communities prepare for future climate shocks.
Adding to the concern, a new report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) revealed that extreme weather is repeatedly displacing conflict-affected populations.
By mid-2025, 117 million people had been forced from their homes by war, violence and persecution, with three in four living in countries highly exposed to climate-related hazards.
Weather-related disasters alone caused an estimated 250 million internal displacements over the past decade – roughly 70,000 per day.
"Around the world, extreme weather is putting people's safety at greater risk. It is disrupting access to essential services, destroying homes and livelihoods, and forcing families – many who have already fled violence – to flee once more," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement.
The UNHCR report highlights that fragile and conflict-affected countries hosting refugees receive only a fraction of the climate finance they need, leaving millions unprotected.
Almost all existing refugee settlements are set to experience an unprecedented increase in extreme heat, the report warned. By 2050, the hottest refugee camps could face nearly 200 days of hazardous heat stress per year.