Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2017
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Political Science and International Affairs
First Advisor
Singh, Ranjit
Major or Concentration
International Affairs
Abstract
In the past few decades, the Middle East and North Africa has experienced two seemingly disparate phenomena: the effects of anthropogenic climate change and a high degree of civil unrest. Though on the surface these two phenomena may seem completely separate, there is evidence that government response to climate change affects the level of civil unrest among populations in this region. This paper hypothesizes that there is a relationship between these two phenomena. The hypothesis is tested using the case studies of Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, and Sudan in a controlled comparison. This paper finds that effective government response to climate change lessens the intensity of civil unrest while ineffective or nonexistent government response increases the intensity of civil unrest.
Recommended Citation
Grossman, Lydia, "Climate Change and Conflict: The Relationship Between Government Response to Climate Change and Civil Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa" (2017). Student Research Submissions. 154.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/154