Introduction: Shifting Society

It would have been difficult to ignore the topic dominating headlines in recent months; mass-migration into Europe and the resultant humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people have made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, with the haunting images reported sparking an international outcry. Clearly, the migrant crisis is very closely connected to countries that are either involved in civil war, or battling extremism. However, there is a growing consensus which considers another significant factor to be at the root of this; climate change.      

A recent article in the Guardian discussed the relationship between a five-year drought in Syria, and the outbreak of civil war. It has been proposed that the severity of drought in this region, which resulted in widespread crop failure and mass migration into cities, was strongly forced by anthropogenic change. You only have to scroll briefly through the comments below the Guardian article to see how controversial many perceive this discussion to be. Whilst it would be wrong to suggest that climate change is the sole instigator of the conflict, it could also be argued that it is wrong to ignore the role that it has played as a ‘risk multiplier, contributing to social and political unrest.

Syrian citizens were called by Bashar al-Assad to pray for rain, at the peak of the drought. Photograph: Youssef Badawi/EP

This is a debate which I not only find to be incredibly interesting, but also something which I think will become critically important in future years. With rising levels endangering the existence of low lying islands and an expected increase in natural disasters, many areas will be put at risk. Consequently, I wanted to use this blog as a platform to consider the discussions and theories that currently exist around this highly contentious relationship, and to better understand the role that the climate may have in shaping future global population distribution.