Climate change as a cause of intra-state conflicts: Darfur case study

A tragedy of Climate Change

Climate change presents a serious threat to the security and prosperity of all countries. The effects of climate change and its security implications have now been at the forefront of international attention. Academic researches on environmental change and security gained popularity in political science and security studies in the 1990s. With Cold War-related security issues on the decline, policymakers began looking more closely at non-traditional security concerns such as environmental change, poverty and diseases. In so doing, the idea of what constituted state security expanded beyond the risk of direct military aggression from hostile states to concerns about the regional instability that could affect economic security and draw governments into regional conflicts.
Many quantitative and qualitative studies conclude that, climate change in itself is unlikely to produce violent conflict, but rather, it could serve as a “threat multiplier” whereby environmental degradation caused by climate change may exacerbate many of the underlining causes linked to violent conflict. However this conclusion is widely generalized, since it has put all countries in one basket despite the numerous differences and variation between countries as far as adaptive capacities and mitigation mechanism are concerned. Using Darfur as a case study, this dissertation examines the effects of climate change in poor or less developed countries, and critically analyzing the concept of climate change as a security threat that has ignited the conflict in Darfur, critically analyzing the role of drought, desertification, decreased rainfall, land degradation and migration in the conflict in Darfur. This study seeks to answer one question: whether the root causes of this crisis related to climate change? While acknowledging the prominent role of the International community in solving this crisis, this work intends to prove that, the absence of a common view on the nature and causes of the conflict has hampered international convergence about how to act on the Darfur crisis. This has delayed a coherent response and has contributed to the escalation of the conflict. Also the mischaracterization of the causes and nature of the conflict in Darfur has contributed to oversimplified views, which allowed the conflict to be politicized in a way that has complicated the search for solutions. .

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1: INTREODUCTION
• 1.1 INTRODUCTION
• 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• 1.3 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
• 1.4 AIMS, OBJECTIVE AND HYPOTHESIS
• 1.5 METHODOLOGY
• 1.6 OVERVIEW OF CHAPTERS
• 1.7 LITERATUREREVIEW
• Chapter 2: BACKGROUND TO SUDAN
• 2.1 BACKGROUND TO SUDAN
• 2.2 BACKGROUND TO DARFUR
• Chapter 3: BEGINNING OF SCARCITY RESOURCE AND CONFLICTS IN DARFUR
• 3.1 HISTORY OF RAIN FALL AND DROUGH IN DARFUR
• 3.2 LAND DEGRADATION AND FOOD SCARCITY
• 3.3 MIGARATION
• 3.4 HISTORY OF TRIBAL CONFLICTS OVER RESOURCES
• 3.5 ERUPTION OF CURRENT CRISES
• Chapter 4: ANALYSIS
• 4.1 LINKING CLIMATE CHANGE TO CONFLICT IN DARFUR
• Chapter 5: THE ROLE OF MULTILATERALISM IN SOLVING THE CRISES IN DARFUR
• 15.1 ROLE OF UNITED NATIONS
• 5.2 ROLE OF AFRICAN UNION
• 5.3 DISCUSSION

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This dissertation examines the relationship between climate change and intra-state conflict, using the Darfur region of Sudan as a case study. It aims to critically analyze whether climate change can be considered a primary cause of the conflict in Darfur, and to assess the role of international organizations in mitigating the crisis.

• Climate change as a potential driver of conflict
• The impact of drought, desertification, and resource scarcity in Darfur
• The role of migration and tribal conflicts in exacerbating the crisis
• The effectiveness of international responses to the conflict in Darfur
• The complexities of conflict dynamics in a region affected by environmental change

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter introduces the research topic, outlining the problem statement, the importance of the study, and the research methodology employed. Chapter two provides a historical overview of Sudan and Darfur, outlining the region's geographical, social, and political background. Chapter three explores the impact of climate change on Darfur, examining historical patterns of rainfall, land degradation, food scarcity, and the consequences of migration. Chapter four analyzes the links between climate change and the conflict in Darfur, providing a comprehensive assessment of how environmental factors have contributed to the crisis. Chapter five examines the role of multilateral organizations in responding to the conflict in Darfur, focusing on the contributions of the United Nations and the African Union.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This work explores the complex relationship between climate change, conflict, and development, with a focus on the Darfur region of Sudan. Key concepts include: climate change, intra-state conflict, resource scarcity, migration, desertification, drought, land degradation, international response, multilateralism, United Nations, African Union.

Details

• Course: International security
• Grade: A
• Author: Mohamed Osman Akasha (Author)
• Publication Year: 2012
• Pages: 86
• Catalog Number: V210144
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656377399
• ISBN (Book): 9783656377795
• Language: English
• Tags: climate darfur change