Temporary protection status of environmental refugees: Refugee Law and European Union regulations

Climate change and its consequences are one of the most frequently discussed problems in today's world and new solutions are constantly being sought. We can see the direct impact on human life most clearly in the extent of climate migrations in recent years. In almost every continent of the world, millions of people may be forced to leave the region or even the country they live in due to natural disasters or erosion that develops over a period. Moreover, apart from their legal status, these people generally do not have a chance to return to the region where they live. Because it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to eliminate the consequences of natural disasters. In the article, a general review was made regarding the international legal status of environmental refugees, especially the possibilities of applying temporary protection status, and certain inferences were obtained both theoretically and practically in terms of definitions, legal interpretations and case studies. The migration legislation of the European Union constitutes one of the main focuses of the research. The lack of adequate legal regulation on the issue that affects the lives of millions of people around the world and the predictions made about the future of the problem should be alarming to states and international organizations. Therefore, in this article, statistical figures and predictions for both the recent past and the future are shown, and the necessity of legal regulation and provision of at least temporary protection status is emphasized.