THE ISSUE

1/10 people will be displaced by 2050.

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), projected that as many as 1.2 billion people around the world could be displaced by 2050. 

The global population currently stands at 7.8 billion. That number is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, straining the world's already stretched natural resources. Source: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

This print showcases 10 individuals that have lived experience of displacement and are friends of The Worldwide Tribe podcast. Every 10th portrait is highlighted in order to visually represent  how many people will be affected. 

This garment shines a light on this truly shocking statistic. Join us and learn from these wonderful individual’s stories - each one completely unique.

Listen to the podcast and their stories in episodes 1,2,5,6,8,9,11,12,13 and 19.

ITS IMPORTANCE

We are not prepared for displacement, especially not at such a large scale. 

The vast majority of those seeking safety do so in neighbouring countries, who may also be facing similar crises of conflict, resource, or climate change. Whilst neighbouring countries may be easier to reach, often resource scarcity or sudden increases in population density make the support available insufficient. 

It is the responsibility of wealthier nations to support those who have been displaced due to crises. However,  wealthier countries of the Global North (including the UK) are making it harder and harder to access their territories, which makes it increasingly difficult to claim asylum.  

This is because, in order to claim asylum, you must do so in the country itself, and by limiting the amount of people who physically get there, wealthy nations limit their responsibility.  

At the end of 2018, the country hosting the most refugees was Turkey – home to almost 3.7 million refugees. Other significant host countries for refugees were Pakistan (1.4 million), Uganda (1.2 million), Sudan (1.1 million), Iran (979,435) and Lebanon (949,666). 

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by the end of 2018 there were 126,720 refugees, 45,244 pending asylum cases and 125 stateless persons in the UK.

That’s around one quarter of a percent (0.26%) of the UK’s total population.

Source: Refugee Action. 

According to Amnesty International, there are 26 million refugees (those displaced that have crossed the border to another country) globally. 

Half of these refugees are children. 

85% of refugees are being hosted in developing countries.

It’s time we started sharing what we have and providing systems that support displacement. The projections state that things are going to escalate, fast - the longer we wait to implement change, the harder it will become to adequately support those in need.  

As Refugee Action states: “We all share the right to seek safety”.

By listening to the stories behind the people in this print, you will gain a better understanding of what displaced people like Nhat-Anh, Awad, and Yusra, go through. You can then be more informed about the reasons behind displacement, and what is going on in the world. Reading a headline doesn’t quite have the same impact. 

Many of those featured in the podcast have fled extreme situations at a very young age, travelling vast distances and facing traumatic circumstances to survive. 

Although climate change will impact everyone, developing countries in the Global South will be hit the hardest.  

With rising temperatures, natural resources like drinking water are becoming more scarce in many of the countries that host refugees. With droughts, rising sea levels and drastic humidity changes, crops and livestock struggle. These conditions create even higher tensions and lead to more conflict, fueling the situation. 

It is severely unbalanced due to the fact that the developed nations that grew their economies by burning fossil fuels have contributed the most to climate change, with hugely disproportionate carbon emissions. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people stayed in their homes exposed to extreme weather or conflict during disasters despite early warnings because of fear of infection. 

Disaster displacement figures were the highest in a decade. More than 98 percent of the 30.7 million people who were displaced in 2020 were the result of weather-related hazards such as storms and floods, and concentrated in East Asia, the Pacific and South Asia. Five countries accounted for more than 60 percent of the recently internally displaced people due to disasters: China (5.1 million), Philippines (4.4 million), Bangladesh (4.4 million), India (3.9 million) and the United States (1.7 million). Source Migration Data Portal.

HOW TO HELP

The actions we take day to day will have a huge impact on other people’s lives, especially with so much displacement by climate change.

It is our responsibility to take ownership of our impact and strive to not only create less mess, but a positive future - for those all around the world. 

Click here to find more everyday actions you can take to make a difference when it comes to climate change. Don’t stop there, see what changes you can make at work, as well as helping your loved ones to make these switches too. 

We must demand social change and a new way of thinking. Let’s be inclusive, not exclusive.

10% of the profits from this collection go to supporting the wonderful work of The Worldwide Tribe, who use film, photography and storytelling to raise awareness and in turn, support grassroots projects making a direct impact to people on the ground.

Talk about it. Word of mouth is powerful, so the next time someone compliments you on what you are wearing, tell them all about the cause - get rid of that awkward small talk.

Wear your heart on your sleeve, 

Gung Ho x