Welcome recognition of first-ever ‘pollution’ refugee

This level of pollution is common in Dhaka. Many elderly people with breathing problems have, in recent years, been forced to leave the city in search of fresher air elsewhere. — AFP

THE recent verdict by a French court stopping the deportation of an unnamed Bangladeshi on the grounds of deadly air pollution in Dhaka has raised eyebrows around the world. In some Bangladesh newspapers and portals, an undertone of ridicule and aspersion against the assumed lack of patriotism in him was evident.

Environmentalists, however, celebrated it as a landmark ruling because governments will now have to take tackling air pollution as a matter of urgency to prevent mass migration. For the last few decades, we have heard a lot about climate refugees, mostly as a result of forced displacements following extreme natural events or disasters caused by climate change. However, this person is probably the first legally recognised “pollution” refugee in the world.