Climate Change and Conflict

https://vu.nl/en/about-vu/research-institutes/center-for-international-criminal-justice/more-about/research-publications-cicj

As global temperatures continue to rise, so does the evidence supporting the assertion that climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating existing tensions and potentially leading to conflict. As river basins dry up or change course due to glacial melts, nations sharing these basins may end up in disputes. Erratic weather patterns, including prolonged droughts or unseasonal rains, lead to crop failures, thus exacerbating food insecurity. Nations or communities dependent on agriculture not only face economic losses but may also vie for fertile lands, leading to local or even international disputes. Sea-level rises, desertification, and other climate impacts promote forced migration, sometimes across national borders, creating or exacerbating tensions and anti-migration sentiments. It is debated to what extent activist groups calling for action to stop climate change become ever more radicalized, possibly resorting to terrorist tactics to further their cause. This explorative research project aims to identify how insights from supranational criminology can promote our understanding about the interrelationship between climate change and conflict.