TED - Why Violence Is Rising With Global Temperatures | Peter Schwartzstein | TED
The transcript highlights how ISIS exploited climate-related hardships in Iraq to recruit members, targeting drought-affected farmers with financial incentives. It draws connections between climate change and various forms of violence, such as piracy in Bangladesh and farmer-herder conflicts in Africa's Sahel. The speaker emphasizes that while climate change is not the sole cause of violence, it exacerbates existing tensions and vulnerabilities. The transcript also notes that rising temperatures correlate with increased violence in Western countries, such as attacks on women in Greece. The speaker argues that climate change undermines societal supports and can be the tipping point for communities already facing other challenges. However, there is hope in mitigating climate change and investing in adaptation to reduce violence triggers.
Key Points:
- Climate change exacerbates existing conflicts and vulnerabilities, leading to increased violence.
- ISIS recruited in drought-hit areas by exploiting farmers' financial desperation.
- Piracy in Bangladesh and farmer-herder conflicts in Africa are linked to climate-induced resource scarcity.
- Rising temperatures correlate with increased violence, such as attacks on women in Greece.
- Mitigating climate change and investing in adaptation can reduce violence triggers.
Details:
1. 🌍 Climate Change Fuels ISIS Recruitment in Iraq
- ISIS targeted drought-affected villages in central Iraq with recruitment strategies, exploiting villagers' financial desperation due to weak rains and intense heat.
- Recruiters specifically aimed at villagers with small, struggling fields, providing cash incentives to join, leveraging their dire economic situation.
- ISIS capitalized on existing distrust in the government, framing adverse environmental conditions as consequences of state actions, including claims of weather manipulation by government scientists.
- The impact of climate change on agriculture has led to reduced crop yields, thereby increasing economic hardship among villagers and making them more susceptible to ISIS recruitment.
- Specific tactics involved portraying the government as incompetent or malicious, deepening the divide between citizens and state officials.
2. 🔄 ISIS Tactics and Climate's Role in Conflict
2.1. ISIS Strategic Tactics
2.2. Climate's Role in Conflict
3. 🌎 Global Conflicts Intensified by Climate Change
- Climate change is increasingly linked to various forms of violence worldwide. Few conflicts today are without a climate-related component.
- In Bangladesh, rising sea levels have displaced farmers, who turn to fishing and become susceptible to piracy, increasing regional violence.
- In Africa's Sahel region, climate change exacerbates resource competition between farmers and herders, leading to heightened clashes in areas with weak governance.
- In the Middle East, water scarcity driven by climate change intensifies existing tensions, contributing to regional instability.
- The Arctic is experiencing geopolitical tensions as melting ice opens new shipping routes and resource extraction opportunities, leading to international disputes.
4. 🔥 Climate-Linked Violence in Western Societies
- Research in Greece shows a correlation between higher summer temperatures and increased violence against women, highlighting the direct impact of climate change on societal violence.
- The increase in climate-linked violence is complex, involving the interplay of climate change with factors like inequality and corruption, indicating that solutions must address these interconnected issues.
- For example, studies might show that regions with higher inequality and corruption see a more pronounced effect of temperature on violence rates, suggesting targeted interventions could mitigate these impacts.
5. ⚖️ Climate as a Catalyst for Instability
- Climate change exacerbates existing conflicts, especially in societies with deep divisions and unresponsive institutions, increasing the likelihood of violence and instability.
- In regions like sub-Saharan Africa, climate-induced migration due to drought or resource scarcity can lead to conflicts over land and water, illustrating how environmental stressors contribute directly to violence.
- Loss of community leaders to migration, driven by climate impacts, leaves communities without key figures to maintain peace during crises, eroding social cohesion.
- The Syrian civil war is a case where prolonged drought, exacerbated by climate change, contributed to rural economic collapse and mass migration to urban areas, fueling social unrest and conflict.
- Climate change undermines traditional support systems, pushing already vulnerable communities past their breaking points, such as in Bangladesh where rising sea levels threaten livelihoods and increase displacement.
6. 🌟 Mitigating Climate-Induced Violence: A Hopeful Outlook
- Reducing global warming even by small amounts can significantly decrease the number of people exposed to conditions that may lead to violence, emphasizing the importance of emission reduction targets.
- Implementing well-conceived adaptation strategies, such as community-based resource management and early warning systems, equips populations to maintain peace during climate-related challenges.
- Human actions play a crucial role in mitigating climate-induced violence, highlighting the importance of both individual and collective efforts in environmental stewardship.
- Case studies, such as the use of rainwater harvesting in drought-prone regions, demonstrate the effectiveness of adaptation strategies in reducing conflict over scarce resources.
- Strategic investments in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure can alleviate pressure on natural resources, thereby reducing potential conflict drivers.