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Trends and Perspectives in International Politics

Disaster Displacement and International Protection in the EU. Challenges, Misconceptions, and the Way Forward

Chiara Scissa
This book investigates the reasons behind the absence of consolidated protection concerning disaster displacement in the EU. It identifies three key reasons for this gap: 1) the way disaster displacement – along with its causes, dynamics, actors, and the nature of harm – is conceptualized at both EU and national levels; 2) the interpretation and application of international protection statuses by asylum authorities and decision-makers, particularly in the context of disaster displacement; 3) the restrictive asylum policies increasingly implemented by the EU and its Member States, which prioritize deterrence and create significant barriers to accessing protection. Through a comprehensive and detailed analysis, it sheds light on the challenges and misconceptions faced by individuals displaced across borders in the context of disasters. It offers a thorough examination of existing legislation, policies, and case law at both the national and EU levels, with a particular focus on Italy. By addressing these issues, it provides a valuable insight for academics, policymakers, and decision-makers, advocating for an evolutive approach to protection claims related to disaster displacement. It calls for the dismantling of State-led barriers to asylum, arguing that such measures are neither effective nor human rights compliant.

Details
London/New York, Routledge, July 2026, 204 p.
In
Trends and Perspectives in International Politics
ISBN/ISSN/DOI
978-1-04102929-8; 978-1-00362682-4 (ebk); 10.4324/9781003626824

Foreword
Ringraziamenti / Acknowledgments

Introduction
Conceptual framework
Structure of the book
1. Misconceptions of disaster displacement
Introduction: Features of disaster displacement
Legal frameworks concerning disasters and disaster displacement
Framing disasters through vulnerability lenses
Rethinking the impact of disaster displacement through vulnerability lenses
Disaster displacement due to man-made hazards
Concluding remarks
2. Challenges in applying and interpreting international protection in the context of disaster displacement
Introduction: EU asylum law
A detailed definition of “persecution”
“It’s a no go”: Disaster displacement’s exclusion from the refugee status
The Internal Protection Alternative
“Not severe enough”: Disasters and the Internal Protection Alternative
Subsidiary protection
Serious harm
“Not in the list”: Disaster displacement as falling beyond subsidiary protection
Concluding remarks
3. State-led barriers to asylum and disaster displacement
Introduction: Disaster displacement and access to protection
Deterrence paradigm in EU migration and asylum policies
Departure prevention
Non-admission policies
Externalization arrangements
Concluding remarks
4. Practices of protection against disaster displacement across the world. Insights from Europe and Italy
Introduction: A regional analysis of protection responses to disaster displacement
Non-refoulement obligations in the context of disaster displacement
Africa and Middle East
The Americas
Asia
The Pacific
Europe
Italy
Concluding remarks
Conclusion: The way forward. Counteracting approaches to challenges to protection in the context of disaster displacement in the EU
Introduction: Persisting challenges to protection in the context of disaster displacement in the EU
Endorsing a contemporary understanding of disasters
Embracing an evolutive approach towards international protection norms
Abandoning the logic of deterrence

Index
Bibliography

Disaster Displacement and International Protection in the EU