Another major problem with the term "climate refugee" is it removes agency. According to Bower, "climate refugee" paints someone as a victim whereas people in Kiribati want to be described as "climate warriors" — as people who have tremendous resilience and who will fight to stay in their country as long as they possibly can.

Without a name, it’s been nearly impossible to rally for the world’s first climate lost — the people who are fleeing a planet that’s gotten a lot tougher to live on. Kathy, Esau, and Zara still have homes, but since 2008, at least 22.5 million people were displaced each year because of sudden extreme weather events — floods, typhoons, cyclones, and the like. That number is over double what it was in the 70s, and is a tenth of the 200 million climate-pushed migrants expected by 2050.

So, as we find footing after Paris, the question is: How do we find footing for the people who can’t go home anymore?

The answer, I believe, lies somewhere at the juncture of an honest reckoning of loss, and a more nuanced struggle for justice.