Climate Refugees in India: Seeking Security between Disaster Diplomacy and Strategic Ambiguity.

This article examines India's approach to climate refugees—people displaced by climate change—within the broader context of climate and migration security. Despite the absence of formal legal recognition for climate refugees under international law, India employs a largely humanitarian and risk-mitigation framework that includes managed retreats, disaster relief operations, and ad hoc legal protections, such as granting citizenship to certain environmentally displaced groups like the Chakma and Hijong tribes from Bangladesh. India's policies reflect a dual securitization process: a strategic, security-focused stance toward irregular migration (notably from Bangladesh and Rohingya populations) alongside inclusive, community-centered responses to internal climate displacement. This approach contrasts with the threat-centric securitization common in many Global North countries and offers a potential model for resource-constrained nations balancing climate vulnerability, migration, and security concerns.