An Uncertain Future: Legal Challenges And The Forthcoming Climate Refugee Crisis

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to over 11 million people fleeing their homes, and 5 million who have reportedly left Ukraine - a staggering number for a conflict that began in late February. However, while the war in Ukraine is one of the latest events causing a surge of refugees, those fleeing Russian aggression are by no means alone. As of the most recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees ("UNHCR"), which counts until mid-2021, there were 20,835,367 people qualified as refugees under the UNHCR's mandate - an uptick from the 20,661,855 recorded in 2020. Additionally, the UNHCR tracked 50,872,901 "internally displaced persons of concern" during the same period in 2021.