More and more, the world is confronted with wicked problems that require innovative thinking by all stakeholders to create solutions. Perhaps the most broadly recognized of these concerns today lies in the increasing severity of anthropogenic climate change. Intractable from this conflict is the increase in forced migration of individuals linked to oppression and environmental concerns, leading to overwhelmed refugee camps worldwide. Both of these challenges are only worsening and demand attention in order to minimize eventual suffering and ensure the protection of both human and environmental rights.
This thesis approaches the needs for environmental stewardship and greater care for refugees from a supply chain perspective. The work presented here was conducted to identify methods through which to make supply chains serving refugee camps more environmentally and socially sustainable. First, a review of the existing literature on climate change, the refugee crisis, sustainable supply chains, supply chains serving refugees, and green humanitarian logistics was completed. Using this background, interviews were completed with leading researchers and individuals in the field of humanitarian and refugee logistics. The synthesis of all of this information revealed unifying themes between perspectives for creating more sustainable supply chains for refugee camps.
