climate change and conflict climate change and conflict russian international studies association,...

Climate change and conflict


Russian International Studies Association, Moscow, 26 September 2008

Nils Petter GleditschCentre for the Study of Civil War (CSCW), International peace

Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) &Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim (NTNU)

President, International Studies Association


Armed conflicts 1946–2007


Battle deaths, 1900–2005Battle deaths, 1946–2005


The growth of the liberal factors


Enter climate change:Are we heading towards

disaster?• Future scenario of warring states and massive social disturbance as a result of climate

change (Schwart & Randall, 2003; think-tank report for the Pentagon)

• Climate change can act as a threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world and this is a major national security challenge for the US (CNA, 2007; statement by 11 retired US generals and admirals)

• The impacts of climate change, such as crop failure and lingering drought, sea-level changes, and river basin degradation go to the heart of the security agenda (Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett in the UN Security Council, April 2007)

• Climate change is an “all-encompassing threat” to human health, to global food supply, and to peace and security (Kofi Annan, 2006)

• Darfur is the first of many climate wars (Jan Egeland and Ban Ki-Moon on various occasions in 2007-08)

• Climate change “may induce large-scale migration and lead to greater competition for the earth’s resources”, which may result in “increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states” (Ole Danbolt Mjøs, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, 2007)


Global warming and armed conflict, 1946–89

Temperature deviation from global mean, 1951–80. Source: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), Columbia University Frequency of armed conflict. Source: UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset.

Global warming and armed conflict, 1946–2006


Physical consequences of climate change

• Melting of glaciers and polar ice• Sea-level rise• Changes in precipitation• Increased natural hazards (floods, droughts,

hurricanes)


Possible social consequences

• Increased vulnerability to physical environment• Increased exposure to health hazards• Destruction of traditional livelihoods• Extensive environmental migration• Decreased predictability

= Security issue by an extended definitionWarrants the attention of the Security Council


But it is an important factor in future conflict?

• Disconnect between NGO, politicians, and think-tank literature and peer-reviewed research

• Somewhat more cautious studies from defense and environment agencies

• IPCC· science: peer-reviewed· social implications: more questionable· conflict: flimsy sources

• The Stern report hints at conflict; same weakness• There is very little peer-reviewed research on the

issue


• Sea-level rise migration conflict in host areas

Drought • Flooding resource competition local conflict

Hurricanes lower state capacity rebel opportunity

Strong version of the neomalthusian model: resource scarcity conflict

Possible pathways to conflict


Counterarguments to the conflict scenarios

• The link between scarcity and conflict is almost completely limited to case studies

• Statistical, comparative analyses have not converged on a robust association between renewable resource scarcity and armed conflict

• Predictions of new conflicts are dependent on general relationships

• Migration conflict in host areas, but probably as a result of ’imported conflict’

• Analyses of disasters and conflict suggest a connection, but mostly for geological disasters, and mechanisms unclear

• And there are exceptions, such as Aceh

• Impending scarcities are often handled by substitution, innovation, cooperation, and the market

• Water literature has moved from ’water wars’ to ’water cooperation’

• Climate change is generally a slow process; this points to adaptation


The 'Bottom Billion'Armed conflicts in 2006The 'bottom billion' - and armed conflict in 2006


Vicious cycle?

• Climate change conflict climate change• War has a negative impact on the environment• Nuclear winter• Armed forces major user of fossile fuels• However, one study shows: war lower CO2

emissions• Gleditsch/Cappelen/Bjerkholt (1994): Disarmament

lower CO2 emissions• On the whole, probably less important


Priorities

• Disaggregate the climate-conflict debate• Couple models of climate changes to models of conflict• Collect better data on violence (one-sided, non-state)• Collect geo-referenced data• Look at interactions between climate change and

political and economic factors• Balance negative and positive effects (e.g. food)• Integrate consequences of climate changes with other

economic and social changes• Calculate costs of reversing climate change vs.

mitigation• Focus on the most important consequences


Conclusions

• Climate change is a major challenge• Climate change is a security issue• There is little evidence to date that armed conflict is an

important consequence• Analysis does not depend on the causes of climate

change• But countermeasures do• Policy measures also depend on the consequences• More research on climate change and conflict is a priority• The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report should include conflict

climate change and conflict climate change and conflict russian international studies association,...

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