CCAPS will sponsor an African Studies Association panel, “Links Between Climate Change and Security in Africa: New Evidence and Analytical Tools.” CCAPS researchers Ashley Moran and Todd Smith will present new research findings and analytical tools.
Climate change is emerging as one of the gravest policy challenges of the twenty-first century, with the consequences of climate change projected to have particularly adverse environmental and security impacts in Africa. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of chronic and sudden environmental disasters in Africa. Open to question, however, is how climate change-induced environmental pressures might exacerbate or trigger social unrest up to and including violent conflict. This panel will examine the varied drivers and impacts of climate-induced conflict, and how new research and GIS-based analysis may be used to inform policy responses. The panel will analyze new data on the links between climate change and conflict, identifying varied causal mechanisms, potential mediating factors, and uneven distribution of impacts across groups. The panel will also examine new dynamic mapping capabilities that allow a wider range of stakeholders to use this research to inform policy and community responses.