Friday 8 October 2021

‘Climate change leads to more global violence’

Half of the world’s population will live in the 40 least peaceful countries by 2050, which will be a 1.3 billion increase from 2020 levels – all due to environmental change…

That’s according to a new study from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which revealed that 11 of 15 countries with the worst environmental threat scores are currently classified as being in conflict.

Resource degradation is instigated by climate change and leads to internal conflict. The report stresses the correlation between the two, demonstrated clearly through a lack of food and water; triggered by drought or increase in global temperatures and leading to violence and a lack of peace.

The number of malnourished people has been climbing since 2016 and is projected to reach 343 million by 2040, leading to further conflict. Food insecurity has risen to 30.4% of the global population.

The study reveals that this is a reversal of the trend of previous decades, which witnessed an improvement in undernourishment and links it heavily to the climate crisis.

The report calls for more action to be taken to mitigate climate change, whilst also improving societal resilience.

Sub-Saharan Africa is cited as being the worst place in the world for food insecurity, with 66% of its population suffering from it. The population is estimated to hit 2.1 billion by 2050 and be impacted the most by conflict and climate change.

Steve Killelea, Founder of the IEP, said: "The solution to these problems lies in a more systemic approach, partially through the conscious integration of development agencies.

“The problems of conflict, food and water insecurity, displacement, business development, health, education and indeed climate change are interrelated and the interconnectedness of these relationships must be recognised for them to best be addressed."