Berlin - Scientists say climate change could dramatically increase the number of people seeking asylum in Europe.
Researchers examined asylum applications in the European Union from 2000 to 2014 and found the number was influenced by temperature anomalies in migrants' home countries.
The study published on Thursday in the journal Science concludes that the number of asylum-seekers to the EU could rise by more than a quarter by 2100 even if global warming slows.
It forecasts that asylum requests could almost triple by the end of the century if current rates of global warming continue.
The authors, Wolfram Schlenker and Anouch Missirian of Columbia University, say their research supports the idea that climate change acts as a "threat multiplier" driving people in poor countries to seek shelter in rich, temperate countries.