Apart from fuelling extreme natural events, climate change helps strive terrorism. In light of this, it is crucial that a hybrid strategy that combines climate change mitigation and counter-terrorism measures is deployed
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris has left a spectre of violence, with 129 innocent lives lost and 350 grievously injured. Terrorist organisations, such as the Islamic State which later claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack on Paris, are evolving fast in achieving their diabolical agenda.
Social media and the Internet are already the favoured tools for raising sufficient funds and recruitments, but of late, extremist organisations have started manipulating the strife and adversity being generated due to climate change to further their cause.
Climate change is fuelling extreme natural events such as droughts, leading to depravation of natural resources that are in turn, giving rise to intense conflicts and instability eventually helping terrorism thrive.
The perilous connection between terrorism and climate change is being considered globally as a real time threat.
According to the United States Department of Defence report, climate change has been identified as the root cause of Government instability that leads to widespread migration, damaged infrastructure and spread of diseases.
The report further mentions that the instability causes gaps in governance, that creates an avenue for extremist ideologies and conditions that foster terrorism. The report also mentions climate change as a “threat multiplier” that takes issues like terrorism, that can pose a threat to national security and exacerbates the damage that they can cause.
Conditions in Syria are a testament to the fact that an unfortunate combination of climate change, political instability and extremist ideology can create a security threat to the world.
The Fertile Crescent region that includes Iraq and Syria has experienced periodic droughts for many centuries. In the recent decades, global warming increased the odds of more severe, persistent dry spells in the region. Added to this, 2007-2010 saw Syria suffer from an especially brutal drought that when combined with other social and political factors, helped foster civil unrest and aided in the rise of the Islamic State.
A report by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US also reiterates that climate change helped create instability and fighting in Syria leading to the formation of the Islamic State. Apart from accelerating terrorism, climate change can also be a major stressor and make volatile situations even worse.
The South China Sea is a traditional choke point for shipping, besides being an active disputed area, but now the warming of ocean due to climate change is changing the dynamics of fishing in the South China Sea. This has created food security issues, in addition to the existing political tensions.
The combination of terrorism and climate change can have a dangerous impact globally. According to the World Health Organisation, global climate change alone accounts for more than 1,60,000 deaths annually. The addition of causalities of terror attacks to this will be a tragic reality.
In the face of such adversity, it is critical that climate change is not allowed to become fuel for international tensions or a weapon for extremists. This can be ensured through adequate climate change mitigation measures.
Renewable energy is a promising technology that is already reducing emissions globally, while providing new jobs and significant business and economic opportunities. Dramatically expanding investments in renewable energy and efficiency will ensure not only a cleaner, healthier future, but a more secure world as well.
India on its part has logged a commendable progress in the area of clean energy. But a stronger political will and policies that are driven by the objective to defeat extremist powers, besides mitigating climate change can create flourishing markets for clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, and biofuels in addition to green buildings and fuel-efficient vehicles.
India also needs to set a global example in setting aggressive targets and providing market incentives for the rapid and large-scale introduction of renewable energy technologies for electricity generation, heating, cooling and transportation.
In the view of increasing terrorism and conflicts, the existing climate change mitigation strategy needs to have a paradigm shift and must now focus on factoring in extremism while planning the new age mitigation measures.
In this regard, it is crucial to ensure security of natural resources in the right hands and prevent shortages of critical aspects such as energy availability. An unchecked climate change in association with terrorism can wreak havoc unless a hybrid strategy that combines climate change mitigation and counter-terrorism measures is deployed.