Climate Change and Future Conflicts

A person in a developing nation uses wood that he obtains by cutting frost. He engages in activities that hurt the environment, climate, and ecosystem. For example, he burns animal excrement, which contains 50% methane and carbon dioxide; he clears forests for fuel, timber for construction, and industry; he hunts extinct species for food and fur; and he urinates in lakes and rivers, which harms marine life. In climatology, these actions cause harm to the environment that will soon render our world inhabitable.

The threat of climate change is imminent, but solutions to address it are uneven, leading to new forms of conflict and war between wealthy and poor nations. A poor person in a developing country with limited means will resist if forced to forgo food and fuel without adequate alternatives. He will be forced to battle and sacrifice his life to survive. Globally, impoverished nations will prefer conflict instead of losing their lives for the sake of affluent countries that have benefitted and cruelly exploited planet Earth for their progress and prosperity.

According to the United Nations, climate change is caused by man-made activities such as the unrestrained use of non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil, and gas. Nonrenewable energy, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide products, are the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Aberrant climatic changes have catastrophic effects on human social, economic, and political security. Studies have revealed that climate changes have led to health, food, water, and livelihood security, migration and forced displacement, loss of cultural identity, and starvation. Lack of security and basic requirements of existence force impoverished nations to compete for resources if wealthy nations refuse to compensate the developing world for their prosperity and progress resulting from decades of ravaging ecology and environment. 

The unexpected effects of climate change necessitate sensible and pragmatic remedies. Unfortunately, corporate titans and politicians' vested interests keep using fossil fuels, barring them from investing in renewable energy and promoting sustainable transportation. Even global initiatives like the Paris Agreement and COP26 are in jeopardy owing to pressure from BP, Exxon, and Shell, who have spent hundreds of millions of pounds lobbying countries to postpone or cancel legislation that would have helped address the climate catastrophe. There is a vicious loop at work in affluent countries where bureaucrats and politicians accept kickbacks from oil, auto, and gas industries and put off implementing legislation to address the climate catastrophe.    

Only by intimidating and compelling the developing world to stop using fossil fuels can the developed nations avoid looking bad. The world's wealthy countries are escalating the severity of the dangers of climate change. The developed nations, which include the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe, account for only 12% of the world population but have generated 50% of all greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and industry during the last 170 years. 

Studies have revealed that although the poorer countries in the world make a negligible contribution, they are the ones most in danger from the effects of climate change. Ten times more likely than citizens of affluent nations, people in these nations are to experience climatic disasters. Additionally, it will take 100 years for emerging countries to develop the resilience of wealthy nations. 

Thus, climate change inextricably links to future wars. Conflicts are exacerbated by climate change as desertification and rising sea levels will worsen over the ensuing years, compelling people to abandon their homes. How will nations handle the influx of migrants from Bangladesh or the drowned Pacific islands? Will wealthy nations share their already limited resources with migrant populations?  

Resource shortage drives disputes between people, communities, and nations. Evidence implies that a lack of water supplies sparked the Syrian civil war. Climate change will aggravate tensions between countries and people in the face of limited resources. Other scarce resources, such as food, livelihood, land, and clean air, will become the source of fatal conflict as climate change intensifies its severity. The floods in South Sudan have forced many out of their homes, increasing competition for resources and fueling fatal confrontations.

Civil conflicts will cause more people to migrate to comparatively more stable countries. Due to massive migration and displacements, the world's metropolitan population will almost quadruple by 2050. People from poor countries will also migrate to wealthier countries in quest of economic and social stability. Climatic changes will exacerbate inequalities, poverty, and the risk of violence. This has a profound impact on human security.

The industrialized nations do not uphold their obligations under international accords. They did not fulfill their promise to give poor countries $100 billion annually. Developed nations make grand pledges that they later fail to keep. The risks of future conflicts due to climate change necessitate commitment, accountability, and inclusion, which are now lacking on the global agenda.

The reality of climate change has arrived. It has created a wide range of difficulties. One of the most serious concerns it has brought to the globe is the likelihood of increased hostilities. The lack of resources brought on by climate change affects human welfare. Food insecurity, vulnerability, unemployment, and illnesses drive people to migrate in search of new homes to resilient and prosperous communities. The rich countries are to blame for the current climate issues. The industrialized nations are either succumbing to the pressure of the major fossil fuel corporations or defending their own interests despite studies showing the negative consequences of climate change on the planet. They are pressing underdeveloped nations with limited resources and capabilities to embrace renewable energy sources without technical or financial assistance. Conflicts within impoverished nations caused by climate change compel people to relocate to the developed world, or developing countries would fight with rich ones for survival if given no other option.