Name: Why violence is rising with global temperatures
Uploaded: 2024-12-06T15:33:10Z
Duration: 4 min 18 s
Description: Climate change doesn't just melt ice caps, it also fuels conflict, corruption and division worldwide, explains TED Fellow and journalist Peter Schwartzstein. From droughts in Syria to rising seas in Bangladesh, he explores how climate stress escalates existing social instabilities — and underscores why every effort to curb a warming world matters, no matter how small.

Peter Schwartzstein: Why violence is rising with global temperatures

Why violence is rising with global temperatures

Climate change doesn't just melt ice caps, it also fuels conflict, corruption and division worldwide, explains TED Fellow and journalist Peter Schwartzstein. From droughts in Syria to rising seas in Bangladesh, he explores how climate stress escalates existing social instabilities — and underscores why every effort to curb a warming world matters, no matter how small.

Climate change is accelerating conflict and division in vulnerable regions around the world. In Iraq, ISIS exploited drought-stricken farmers desperate for cash, while in Bangladesh, ex-farmers turned fishermen risk pirate kidnappings after losing their land to rising seas. Even in Western countries, hotter summers correlate with increased violence against women. Although climate is not the sole cause, it intensifies existing social fractures and makes communities more vulnerable to unrest.