World Order Could Hinge On Solving The Climate Crisis, Security Experts Warn

WASHINGTON — From flooding in coastal cities to conflicts driven by food and water shortages, people are already feeling the effects of climate change. And if the world does not mitigate climate-related impacts, they are likely to “intersect, amplify and ripple across countries,” disrupting international security, a team of climate and security experts warns in a new report.  The lengthy report from The Center for Climate and Security identifies 12 key climatic risks, or “epicenters,” and makes the case for why addressing them should be of the highest priority for world governments. Those risk categories vary from eroding state sovereignty and disrupted trade routes, to increased pandemics and a damaged coffee trade. “The risks that climate change is posing to each of these elements of the world are potentially globally significant by themselves,” Center co-president Francesco Femia, an editor of the report, told HuffPost. “All of these things are essentially happening together, and climate is making it worse. And when you put all of these things together you have a potential for a very significant impact on global security, and potentially — loftily — on world order.”  If climate risks are not significantly reduced, Femia added, they are likely to put pressure on nation-states’ ability to provide basic resources, creating tensions not only within those nation-states but betw...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news