Climate Change And Conflict: International Prevention And Response

INFOS The causal relationship between climate change and conflicts are not only complex they are also not sufficiently documented on a scientific level. However the potential types of conflicts are diverse both concerning the cause of the conflict and the effects on directly and indirectly concerned societies (migration). The lack of water, ownership of arable land, access to scarce resources which are economically relevant are only some of the areas of future conflicts which may be aggravated through climate change. Scarce resources don’t necessarily lead to conflicts but can also lead to approximation and development of cooperation, as examples in transnational water management have shown (India/Pakistan; Latin America). On the other hand the conflict in Darfur certainly is a conflict which is clearly marked by the climatic developments. The new NATO-Strategy already accommodates the interdependency between climate change and conflicts. But how are other multilateral actors and international organisations (e.g. EU, AU, and UN) reacting to these new challenges? CONTACT Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 11, Avenue de l'Yser B-1040 Brussels Elisabeth Sandfuchs Phone: +32 2 743 2452 Email: elisabeth.sandfuchs@kas.de