Migranci czy uchodźcy? Prawne aspekty ochrony osób migrujących ze względu na negatywne zmiany środowiska naturalnego

The article provides a general overview of the issue of environmentally induced migration. Despite having been a topic of climate change debate for over 30 years and a growing concern of the international community, environmentally displaced persons are not defined or described in any legally binding document. The first part of the article investigates difficulties with providing a definition of environmental migrants. Next, it examines different projects of international regulations and approaches. In the final section the author analyses the key issues of environmentally induced migration, namely: environmental factors, including slow and sudden onset events, characteristics of the movement, with focus on forced and cross-border migration and the appropriate terminology (migrant or refugee).