Climate change & society in conflicted landscapes: Cases of Srinagar (Kashmir) and Jerusalem (West Bank, Palestine)
Climate change has become an important part of social, political and economic policy post the Paris Climate Agreement of 2016. The Agreement recognizes the urgency for action at a global scale. Major superpowers, developing countries and a host of nations in-between are parties to this agreement. The promises and actions supported in the Agreement require all nations to strengthen their existing climate response systems, allowing for increased adaptation and mitigation measures. A major issue with many of the signatories of the Agreement is the political chaos and conflict in some regions that have arisen out of religious, cultural, linguistic, political, or economic differences – and exacerbated by changing climatic conditions. These regions are in countries that are mostly poor, developing and that have witnessed rampant corruption, exploitation and abuse at the hands of internal groups or other powerful countries. The conflicts that emerge have the potential to jeopardize or impede Global action on climate change. This study explores the relationships arising out of differences and conflicts and their impacts on their ability to respond to the climate crises through an analysis of two case studies and their immediate landscapes. The conflict-climate nexus and the responses of the affected case study communities towards climate problems are analyzed. Included is a discussion on improving engagement and participation in climate response as a way to provide opportunities for peacebuilding and conflict resolution. The results of the study find climate safety issues tightly coupled with human health and food security – both major issues in conflict zones. A major problem in regions grappling with conflict and climate change is the absence of trust in leadership and a lack of community engagement in developing measures to address the climate problem. The study concludes with a comparative analysis of the two case studies and proposes a change model to augment community engagement and participation in climate adaptation and mitigation plans.
Climate change, Climate action planning, Conflict planning, Climate Change and Conflicts, Kashmir, Palestine
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign