Global exodus: How climate change is forcing hundreds of millions of people to relocate

In early December 2025, a passenger plane landed at Brisbane Airport on Australia’s east coast carrying three residents of the neighboring state of Tuvalu — a pastor, a truck driver, and a dentist, who had received Pacific Engagement Visas granting them the right to work, and to receive education and social protection. They were the first officially recognized climate migrants in history.

With a total population of 11,000, Tuvalu is one of the world's smallest and most vulnerable states, occupying a handful of low-lying coral atolls. More than a third of its residents applied for Australian relocation visas, and for very compelling reasons. With its average altitude of only a few meters above sea level, the country is already facing tangible consequences as a result of global climate change: flooding, salinization of soil and freshwater, coastal erosion, and damage to infrastructure.

Between 60% and 80% of the country’s population will be living in flood-prone areas by 2050, with projections for the end of the 21st century dependent on future emissions levels. The worst-case scenario shows sea levels rising by two meters — meaning most of the islands would be submerged, while the remaining land would face flooding for 100 days a year.