Less than a sixth of countries’ climate adaptation plans, and less than 2% of national plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions mention homelessness, despite climate change endangering those already experiencing homelessness and putting millions more at risk of losing their homes, new research reveals.
The report, “The climate blind spot on homelessness: Omissions and opportunities in national climate plans” released today ahead of UN climate talks by global homelessness organisation Depaul International and leading climate policy and research organisation the International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED), reveals a glaring blind spot in national climate action, with almost all governments failing to recognise homelessness in their plans to tackle climate change.
The research examines how homelessness is addressed in countries’ national climate action plans (Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)), which guide responses to climate change.
Just two countries’ (1.2%) NDCs explicitly mention homelessness, while only eleven countries’ NAPs (13.9%) refer to it. Of these, just six recognise the heightened vulnerability of people experiencing homelessness to climate-related risks.
Globally, more than 300 million people experience homelessness, while up to 3.4 billion lack access to adequate housing. Climate change is making this worse. For people already experiencing homelessness, the consequences can be life-threatening. Extreme heat, flooding and severe weather pose immediate dangers, particularly for people without access to safe shelter, clean water and essential services, many of whom already have chronic and complex health conditions.
Meanwhile floods, storms and fires are destroying homes and driving displacement, while rising temperatures, sea levels and disrupted livelihoods are forcing migration into cities with nowhere near enough affordable homes, putting more people at risk of homelessness.
The report, released as delegations prepare to meet in Antalya, Türkiye for the UN climate summit (COP31) finds that while governments increasingly recognise the impacts of climate change on housing, livelihoods and displacement, they rarely make the connection to homelessness or set out concrete measures to prevent people from losing their homes. Homelessness services are largely absent from climate planning, despite growing demand for emergency accommodation, outreach and support.
Matthew Carter, Group CEO of Depaul International, said:
“Climate change is destroying homes and pushing more people into homelessness. For those already without a safe place to live, with nowhere to shelter from storms, floods or extreme heat, the consequences can be devastating. Yet the people most exposed to these risks are being overlooked in the very plans designed to tackle them.
“We cannot afford to leave homelessness out of the climate response. As climate change intensifies, we risk leaving millions of the world’s most vulnerable people behind. Protecting those already without a safe home and preventing millions more from losing theirs must be at the heart of climate action.”
Camila Cociña, Senior Researcher on Housing Justice at the International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED), said:
“Our research highlights an alarming blind spot in many countries’ approaches to climate change, adding another reason to approach the housing crisis and the climate emergency together. People in inadequate housing or without a home are significantly more vulnerable due to climate change, and more people are likely to experience homelessness as the climate crisis intensifies; so authorities will need to think about this more and more in the coming years. Governments should rethink their housing and climate policies to make sure cities have the resources to protect the rights and wellbeing of their most vulnerable residents.”
Rob Robinson, a formerly homeless community organizer and human rights enforcer from the USA, said:
“I spent 2.5 years on the streets of Miami, Florida. I was fortunate to survive 3 hurricanes while living unsheltered on the streets and quickly realized that daily exposure to extreme heat from the sun would lead to my demise. Sadly, many other unsheltered people fare less well.
“As this research shows, climate change is worsening inequalities and increasing homelessness. This has to be addressed urgently by governments across the world. Emergency response plans must integrate housing stabilization and transition aid rather than relying solely on temporary disaster relief. Cities require expanded investments in permanent supportive housing, climate-resilient emergency shelters, and accessible cooling/warming centers. Governments need to invest more in flood mitigation. And they need to listen to those with lived experience of homelessness to understand the real issues they’re facing.”
The report identifies opportunities for governments to close this gap through existing climate commitments. These include ensuring disaster recovery programmes help people access secure and affordable housing, linking displacement and livelihood support to homelessness prevention, and making climate-resilient housing improvements affordable and accessible to those most at risk.
Depaul International and IIED are calling on governments at COP31 to explicitly recognise homelessness in national climate plans, backed by dedicated funding, clear responsibilities and measurable commitments. It also calls on global climate institutions to integrate homelessness into adaptation, Loss and Damage, and climate finance frameworks, and to recognise homelessness organisations as essential partners in climate planning and emergency responses.