Famine, Drought and Climate Wars

At the risk of oversimplifying a complex conflict, the origins of the Darfur conflict in which two million people have been displaced and at least 400,000 civilians killed, can be traced back to an ongoing drought that took place in Sudan and the Horn of Africa in the mid-1980s. It pushed the conflicting sides into areas where they would fight for water resources and fertile land.

Because Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change it is expected that similar conflicts may arise across the continent as hundreds of millions of people face water shortages, reduced crop yield, leading to both famine and drought that will force rival factions into close proximity in their search for resources.

Water systems in the Middle East are already under intense stress, with around two-thirds of the Arab world dependent on water sources beyond their borders. Significant water losses are expected to hit Israel, Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia, which will only help to further destabilise this already volatile region.

Perhaps more worrying still is that Earth with a current population of 6 billion people can struggle to provide food in the poorest regions. By 2050, our population is expected to reach 9 billion people what happens when food production and water supply diminish and we have to provide for a further 3 billion people?