DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR) CP2500, 1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland E-mail: hqpr02@unhcr.org Website: www.unhcr.org This paper was initially prepared in 2009 as a background paper for the UNHCR submission to the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ‘Climate Change and Statelessness: An Overview’. It was subsequently updated for UNHCR’s Expert Roundtable on Climate Change and Displacement which was convened in Bellagio, Italy, from 22 to 25 February 2011, with the generous support of the Rockefeller Foundation. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or UNHCR. This paper may be freely quoted, cited and copied for academic, educational or other non-commercial purposes without prior permission from UNHCR, provided that the source and author are acknowledged. The paper is available online at http://www.unhcr.org/protect. © United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2011.