Climate change and violent conflict: Sparse evidence from South Asia and South East Asia

The impacts of climate change are increasingly viewed as global security risks, which will have far-reaching implications for both human and renewable natural systems. Most climate-conflict research has focused on East Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. This SIPRI Insights explores and summarizes the fi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2018
Main Authors: Krampe, Florian, Nordqvist, Pernilla
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Conflicts
Environment
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Violence
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:The impacts of climate change are increasingly viewed as global security risks, which will have far-reaching implications for both human and renewable natural systems. Most climate-conflict research has focused on East Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. This SIPRI Insights explores and summarizes the findings from a systematic literature review of climate-conflict research on South Asia and South East Asia. Although these regions have been greatly affected by both climate change and conflict, there have only been a small number of rigorous academic studies that focus on the climate-conflict relationship. While this constrains the ability to draw general conclusions, there is context-specific evidence that climate change can have an effect on the causes and dynamics of violent conflict in the region when: (a) it leads to a deterioration in people's livelihoods; (b) it influences the tactical considerations of armed groups; (c) elites use it to exploit social vulnerabilities and resources; and (d) it displaces people and increases levels of migration. In acknowledging that these mechanisms are often interlinked and more noticeable in some climatic, conflict and socio-economic contexts than in others, the need for more research in both regions is clear.