Climate Change and Conflict

Anthropogenic climate change is now widely acknowledged as a driver of various types of violent conflict. Across the planet, extreme weather, such as flooding, drought, heat waves, massive tropical storms, wild fires, and water scarcity, exacerbate and escalate social conflicts. The extreme weather associated with climate change is already causing humanitarian crises, fueling civil wars, and provoking foreign military intervention. This entry addresses the connection between climate change and violent conflict by examining research and policy and the conditions and forces that have made certain populations more vulnerable, and concludes with a look at recent examples of the effects of climate change upon challenged economies and societies such as in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

A growing body of research confirms the link ...