100,000 people lost their lives in the African Sahel region between 1972 and 1984, due to a prolonged drought and the resulting famine. According to a scientific study, global warming has recently increased rainfall in the area, temporarily halting the drought. This led several people, including Forbes journalist James Taylor, to portray global warming as a lifeline.

The lives lost in the Sahel region were "one of the most heartbreaking tragedies of the last century," Taylor said, and the relief brought by the rainfall was truly "life-saving." However, this situation must be placed in a global context: every year because of climate change, 150,000 people die and several million are forced to leave their homes.

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In 2013, more than 30 million people were forced to abandon their homes due to natural disasters such as floods, storms and earthquakes. The famine that occurred between 2010 and 2012, linked to reduced rainfall caused in turn by CO2 concentrations, led to the death of approximately 260,000 people in Somalia alone. According to estimates, by 2050 climate change could displace one billion people.

Furthermore, global warming appears to be linked to several conflicts. For instance, limited access to water and environmental degradation have been identified as some of the reasons underlying the conflict in Darfur, which has caused more than 300,000 deaths.

Climate change tends to have a greater impact on those countries already experiencing poverty, as highlighted in a report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

In the popular imagination, migrants move internationally, but in reality most of them relocate within the borders of their country of origin. Moreover, the urban population, especially in developing countries, is expected to grow by approximately 2.5 billion people, and the lack of adequate immigration policies will encourage the flow of environmental migrants into urban areas. For refugees, who are identified predominantly among the poorer sections of the population, this would mean a greater risk of disease and higher exposure to pollution and natural disasters.

Current regulations often overlook refugees affected by the consequences of climate change. For example, immigration laws do not always provide adequate tools to address environmental migrants, although this situation is now apparent to many, highlighting a pressing need for reform.

The "positive" impact of global warming seen in isolated cases, such as in the Sahel region, is nothing compared to the catastrophic consequences at a global level. The effects of global warming on the most vulnerable communities must be fully understood in order to develop adequate responses to the needs of environmental migrants. The priority remains to create a sustainable future, to prevent possible waves of terrible tragedies.

Translated by Camilla Soldati