I had the privilege, recently, of speaking at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Cultural Society’s panel on Sustainability and Human Security in the Americas. My talk focused on climate change as a catalyst for conflict, part of my ongoing research on the effects of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean.
What does "catalyst for conflict" really mean? In 2014, the Department of Defense declared climate change to be a national security threat, but my recent research indicates that the causal linkage between climate change and insecurity is not well understood. The tricky thing about climate change is that it frequently does not represent a security threat by itself, but rather works to exacerbate challenging conditions that already exist: poverty, weak institutions, poor infrastructure, conflicts over water and food shortages, and etc.
I used recent examples to help audience members understand this connection:
Central America drought —> migration crisis
Disappearing Andes glaciers —> reduced water for both human consumption and agriculture in La Paz, Bolivia and Santiago, Chile
2017 floods in Peru and Argentina —> displaced persons
Diminished aquifers —> lack of fresh water for Sao Paolo, Brazil and Mexico City
Hurricanes Jose and Irma —> the complete evacuation of Barbuda in Sept 2017
Rising sea levels —> devastation of low-lying Caribbean islands such as the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Cayman Islands
Hurricane Maria exploding from Tropical Storm status to a Category 5 hurricane in 36 hours in Sept 2017
Examples of climate change’s severe impact on tourism (BVI) and agriculture (Dominica), primary sources of income for many Caribbean nations
Please feel free to reach out if you would like a copy of my slides from the talk.