A new report by the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns that climate change is creating a growing risk of statelessness—where people lose their legal nationality and, with it, basic rights such as healthcare, education, and the ability to travel. The report urges governments, including Australia, to update their laws and policies to address the needs of millions of people who may be forced to move due to climate-related disasters. These movements could lead to sudden and large-scale increases in statelessness, especially as extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts, and cyclones become more frequent. The report highlights that not only sudden disasters, but also slower environmental changes—such as rising sea levels, desertification, and loss of wildlife—could lead to similar outcomes. People displaced by these events may lose their legal identity documents or fall into legal limbo if national laws fail to protect their right to nationality. Without a nationality, individuals are often denied access to essential services and basic freedoms. The report emphasizes the need for a concept called "continuity of statehood," which would ensure that even if a country's land is lost—such as small island nations at risk of being submerged—its status as a sovereign state remains recognized. Since 2015, approximately 27 million people have been displaced annually by weather-related events, and this number is expected to rise as climate change worsens. Many of those displaced could face statelessness if their countries fail to provide legal protections. The report, titled Global Recommendations on Nationality and Statelessness in the Context of Climate Change, was authored by Radha Govil, an associate professor at Melbourne Law School, alongside UNHCR officials Anne Laakko and Michelle Yonetani. The report outlines several key recommendations for governments worldwide: identifying and counting stateless people within their borders, resolving existing statelessness cases quickly, removing legal barriers that could cause statelessness due to migration, digitizing records to help prove nationality, and ensuring that all children affected by climate change can obtain a nationality. These recommendations are grounded in international law and aim to prevent new cases of statelessness, reduce existing ones, and protect vulnerable populations. Govil stresses that legal and practical measures must be taken now to address the growing risk of statelessness linked to climate change.