Sustaining Peace in a Climate of Change

Feb 25, 2018 | Janani Vivekananda
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The world is at its most volatile and dangerous since the Cold War. The escalation of conflict in Syria this week, and Congo’s spiralling back into bloodshed are emblematic of the sharp uptick in conflict in recent years - which is vastly outstripping our ability to cope with the consequences. At the same time, the world is facing unprecedented climate extremes. Last year, hurricanes, floods and tropical storms devastated parts of the Caribbean, North America and South Asia, whilst drought and desertification push thousands more towards extreme hunger in the Sahel. Arctic ice is at its thinnest level ever and an iceberg the size of Luxembourg broke off the Antarctic ice shelf. These risks are not simply occurring in parallel. They are mutually reinforcing.