July 9, 2007

Climate Change The Root Of Armed Conflicts?

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Climate change and its resultant shortage of ecological resources could be to blame for armed conflicts in the future. According to a paper published in Human Ecology, changing temperatures and dwindling agricultural production correlated with warfare frequency in eastern China in the past. The authors reviewed warfare data from 899 wars in eastern China between 1000 and 1911, and cross-referenced these data with Northern Hemispheric climate data for the same period. They found that warfare increased significantly when temperatures fluctuated enough to affect food crops. Their conclusion: in times of ecological stress, warfare could be the ultimate means of redistributing resources. JULIA WHITTY

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