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The impacts of climate change on violent conflict risk: a review of causal pathways

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  • Xiaolan Xie
  • Mengmeng Hao
  • Fangyu Ding
  • Jürgen Scheffran
  • Tobias Ide
  • Jean-Francois Maystadt
  • Yushu Qian
  • Qian Wang
  • Shuai Chen
  • Jiajie Wu
  • Kai Sun
  • Tian Ma
  • Dong Jiang
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Article number112002
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>11/11/2024
<mark>Journal</mark>Environmental Research Communications
Issue number11
Volume6
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The potential impacts of climate change on violent conflict are high on the agenda of scholars and policy makers. This article reviews existing literature to clarify the relationship between climate change and conflict risk, focusing on the roles of temperature and precipitation. While some debate remains, substantial evidence shows that climate change increases conflict risk under specific conditions. We examine four key pathways through which climate affects conflict: (i) economic shocks, (ii), agricultural decline, (iii) natural resources competition, and (iv) migration. Key gaps include limited long-term data, insufficient integrated studies, and the inadequate understanding of causal mechanisms, necessitating transdisciplinary research that addresses social vulnerability and underlying pathways