HOW CLIMATE CHANGE SET UP SYRIA
How Climate Change Warmed Syria Up for War
Brian Merchant, September 4, 2013 (MotherBoard)
"…While [the understanding that Bashar al-Assad is a sociopathic maniac who'd rather mow down his own people than relinquish dictatorship is] undoubtedly part of the [Syria] equation…some of the blame, scholars argue, can be traced all the way to climate change…As was the case with many of the nations touched by the Arab Spring, a large swath of Syria's citizenry wasn't just poor, oppressed, and disenfranchised by an authoritarian regime—they were starving because Syria had been stricken by a five year drought believed to be exacerbated by climate change. There was eventually too little rain to even grow crops or to feed livestock…William Polk, an ex-US State Department advisor, has written a meticulously detailed account of the genesis of the conflict…It is also an exceptionally detailed case study of how, exactly, climate change can directly influence—even precipitate—a violent conflict. Considering Syria's path to war, step-by-step, provides a powerful breakdown of what might continue to happen in the future, so as long as the globe continues to warm, the food system continues to be in thrall to commodity traders and market swings, and vast swaths of the global population remain impoverished…” click here for more
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