The Climate Crisis

Climate Change: The Root of All Problems?

           Unpredictable and violent weather, inhospitable temperatures, and food and water scarcity are among just a few problems we will face in the twenty-first century due to climate change. Many people, including the majority of the scientific community, accept climate change and know that changes must be made to live. There is, however, a piece of the climate conversation that is often overlooked: social and political consequences.

           Yes, official dialogues such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference encourage political action and consider social dynamics, but this is not enough. Food scarcity, caused by extreme weather events such as flooding or droughts, will affect the lower classes first. Those who already have limited access to food will only find that access becoming more limited. Similarly, these groups are often less mobile and could find their physical property damaged or uninhabitable by flooding, storms, or pollution. What are we to do when these people have nowhere to live and nothing to eat?

           We can already see the effects in some countries- violence and hunger are both widespread in Eastern Africa, particularly the Horn of Africa, where rainfall has become less predictable and generally decreased. Historically, social, economic, religious, and ethnic groups have had conflicts, but climate change will only exacerbate these conflicts. What does this mean for the U.S.? We hear about conflicts and violence in the U.S. in the news every day. I imagine that it could only get worse when New York City is underwater.

           In contrast, consider the major enemy of climate activists: oil. The Middle East and parts of Latin America (e.g. Venezuela, Brazil) are rich with oil. What will these countries do if a major part of their economy is no longer used because of climate action? Venezuela and parts of the Middle East are already unstable. Will climate change exacerbate their conflicts, or will climate action?

           We do not have answers to most of these questions, but these are issues (social, ethnic, or religious conflict, food scarcity, natural disasters, poverty, etc.) already being studied outside the field of climate change. We should consider each of these problems through the lens of climate change and what that means for our future. It's possible that some solutions to our climate problem may indirectly alleviate other world problems.