Climate change will increase the future risk of violent armed conflict – study

Intensifying climate change will increase the future risk of violent armed conflict within countries, according to a study published in the journal Nature co-authored by an international group of scientists from Stanford University, the German University of Hamburg and others. Bringing together views from a wide range of experts, the study estimates that climate has influenced between 3 percent and 20 percent of armed conflict risk over the last century and that the influence will likely increase dramatically, Stanford University writes in a press release. How exactly the climate affects armed conflict remains uncertain, the University of Hamburg adds in a press release. The interdependencies are complex, says co-author Jürgen Scheffran. “Among these are extreme weather events, insufficient supply with water and food as well as climate-induced migration, which can intensify the inequalities and tensions among the population.”

German foreign minister Heiko Maas said in June 2019 that climate action was the country’s “new foreign policy imperative”, as the security implications of its effects can already be seen across the globe. Germany aims to play a leading role in the fight against the risks to peace and stability posed by the climate crisis, Maas told diplomats at the Climate and Security Conference in Berlin. The German government has made climate action a focus of its ongoing two-year term as a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and said it plans to use its diplomatic clout to ensure that climate change concerns are an integral part of UN security policy.