Climate and Security in Latin America and the Caribbean
Date of Publication
1-1-2023 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Political Stability
Keywords
Economic vulnerabilities, security vulnerabilities, climate change, inequality, social conflict, climate security, political stability
Description
Climate change has been recognized by the United Nations (UN) and by regional organizations, such as the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) to be a multiplier of insecurity and vulnerability, especially where efforts to mitigate and adapt are not implemented. Discussion around the nature and dynamics of the links between climate and security have intensified since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Global Warming of 1.5 Special Report (2018), which stresses that the international community has only until 2030 to limit the increased risks brought on by climate change (IPCC 2018). The connections between climate change and security are complex. The interaction with other factors and the speed and type of social change vary across different contexts. Climate change rarely, if ever, causes insecurity directly; intervening variables – most of them related to governance, development and resource management – mediate this relationship. While reliably quantifying how much climate change contributes to a single event is challenging, the literature has made progress in terms of identifying the causal paths through which climate conditions worsen insecurity. In general, climate change tends to exacerbate existing social tensions and may generate new ones altogether. This augmentation effect can happen through “outlier” crises, such as disasters, or as a result of more incremental changes, such as gradual soil erosion. In many contexts, these dynamics occur simultaneously or feed one another.
Climate and Security in Latin America and the Caribbean
Climate change has been recognized by the United Nations (UN) and by regional organizations, such as the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) to be a multiplier of insecurity and vulnerability, especially where efforts to mitigate and adapt are not implemented. Discussion around the nature and dynamics of the links between climate and security have intensified since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Global Warming of 1.5 Special Report (2018), which stresses that the international community has only until 2030 to limit the increased risks brought on by climate change (IPCC 2018). The connections between climate change and security are complex. The interaction with other factors and the speed and type of social change vary across different contexts. Climate change rarely, if ever, causes insecurity directly; intervening variables – most of them related to governance, development and resource management – mediate this relationship. While reliably quantifying how much climate change contributes to a single event is challenging, the literature has made progress in terms of identifying the causal paths through which climate conditions worsen insecurity. In general, climate change tends to exacerbate existing social tensions and may generate new ones altogether. This augmentation effect can happen through “outlier” crises, such as disasters, or as a result of more incremental changes, such as gradual soil erosion. In many contexts, these dynamics occur simultaneously or feed one another.
