Climate Change and Conflict: the Co-Benefits of Adaptation

Will climate change lead to armed conflicts? Mass migration and competition over natural resources due to the impacts of climate change may lead to a rise in violent conflict in developing countries. Yet adaptation may play a key role in terms of building the resilience of communities to lessen the severity of future climate impacts, fostering cooperation between social groups and promoting peace and reconciliation. Natasha Chamberlain is investigating the relationship between climate change adaptation and human security. Through fieldwork conducted with pastoral societies in Ethiopia and Kenya, she will examine how communities adapt to climate change, to what extent they are successfully assisted by international aid organizations and whether adaptation strategies have had any impact on outbreaks of violent conflict.
My Research focuses on understanding the impacts of climate variability and hazards on pastoralist groups in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, and the complex interaction of factors influencing innovation and adaptation within their societies. It will look beyond climate stressors, to also examine the broader political, economic, ecological and social context and the influences of non-governmental organisations in promoting or constraining adaptive actions. Additionally, it will investigate the extent to which environmental factors themselves, or the actions taken to adapt to them - either as a result of government policy, NGO interventions, or independently through household or community innovation have any impact on the outbreak of violent conflict in the region.