Science & Technology

Climate change could lead to more wars

By T.K. Randall
August 4, 2013 ·  64 comments

Image Credit: sxc.hu The threat of climate change usually brings with it predictions of widespread flooding, droughts and food shortages, but perhaps one of the less understood consequences of rising temperatures is the threat of an increase in armed conflicts. Recent studies have uncovered correlations between climactic factors and violence throughout history, indicating that a changing climate can lead to a far greater risk of wars and violence.

Even now, cities experiencing excess spells of hot weather are seeing an increase in violent crime, possibly due to the physiological stress response to heat. If temperatures were to rise significantly on a long-term basis then many parts of the world could see far greater problems in these areas than we see today.[!gad]The threat of climate change usually brings with it predictions of widespread flooding, droughts and food shortages, but perhaps one of the less understood consequences of rising temperatures is the threat of an increase in armed conflicts. Recent studies have uncovered correlations between climactic factors and violence throughout history, indicating that a changing climate can lead to a far greater risk of wars and violence.

Even now, cities experiencing excess spells of hot weather are seeing an increase in violent crime, possibly due to the physiological stress response to heat. If temperatures were to rise significantly on a long-term basis then many parts of the world could see far greater problems in these areas than we see today.

Source: Smithsonian | Comments (64)

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