Whither the weather? Climate change and conflict

Bibliographic Data

ID3916742
AuthorsNils Petter Gleditsch (0000-0003-2393-9515, Centre for the Study of Civil War, PRIO & Norwegian University of Science and Technology, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume49
Issue1
Pages3-9
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0022343311431288
OpenAlexW2126211631
LanguageEN
Citations received137
References cited90

Until recently, most writings on the relationship between climate change and security were highly speculative. The IPCC assessment reports to date offer little if any guidance on this issue and occasionally pay excessive attention to questionable sources. The articles published in this special issue form the largest collection of peer-reviewed writings on the topic to date. The number of such studies remains small compared to those that make up the natural science base of the climate issue, and there is some confusion whether it is the effect of 'climate' or 'weather' that is being tested. The results of the studies vary, and firm conclusions cannot always be drawn. Nevertheless, research in this area has made considerable progress. More attention is being paid to the specific causal mechanisms linking climate change to conflict, such as changes in rainfall and temperature, natural disasters, and economic growth. Systematic climate data are used in most of the articles and climate projections in some. Several studies are going beyond state-based conflict to look at possible implications for other kinds of violence, such as intercommunal conflict. Overall, the research reported here offers only limited support for viewing climate change as an important influence on armed conflict. However, framing the climate issue as a security problem could possibly influence the perceptions of the actors and contribute to a self-fulfilling prophecy

Climate change · Confusion · Framing (construction) · Geography · Meteorology · Natural disaster · Perception · Political science · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Ecology · Health and Conflict Studies · History · Psychology · Transboundary Water Resource Management

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