Climate change is global warming characterized by increasing temperatures, moving weather patterns, and violent episodes. It is the most severe and unequivocal problem that humans of the 21st century are dealing with now and in the future. These impacts not only go beyond geographical borders and socioeconomic statuses but are also very significant and may turn out to be decisive in the future. As for what gives climate change an advantage in visualizing the connection between inequality and conflict, it is that it is naturally able to aggravate the ones that already exist and to generate explosions because of competition over resources, which, in turn, intensifies social, economic, and environmental inequalities.
The intricacy of climate change is in its multi-dimensional and inter-sectoral nature and outcome, also for socially different population groups. Those at risk, namely the poor, native people, and those living in economically backward countries, are mostly affected by climate-induced crises and environmental degradation. Lack of means to resources, infrastructure, and existing inequities increase the oppression, disabling people from coping with the changing climatic situation (Smith et al., 2022). Furthermore, articulating health and climate in the past and today’s structures increases poverty and marginalization.
In the same way, climate change intensifies pressure on the population living in a crisis-prone area, leading to statehood problems, territorial disputes, and economic turmoil between and within countries. Competition for scarce resources becomes fierce where climate change is at its most discernible, leading to a fight for water rights, agricultural land, nature reserves, and other goods of nature (Borras & Franco, 2020). This will eventually lead to a displacement of people, further creating conflicts over the territory sovereignty, resource distribution, and settlement. Moreover, inequalities in emissions and efforts to combat climate change result in geopolitical tensions that contribute to the increase in global disparities.
In conclusion, climate change constitutes a complicated and multi-headed apocalypse linked to inequality and war. Examining climate change from this lens, we will see the underlying systemic unfairness towards people who have to deal with the climate crisis. Thus, we will try to develop sustainable solutions that address the causes of conflicts, inequality, and the climate crisis from a systemic approach.
Through the lens of inequality and on the issue of climate change, it becomes evident that it is the underprivileged who bear the brunt of it, worsening existing social and economic disparities and environmental issues. While Sernau (2022) might not use the terminology “climate change,” the theoretical basis and assumptions can be used as a metaphor to understand the overlaps in unequal dimensions.
To begin with, the climate crisis exploits already existing socioeconomic inequalities by overwhelming minority communities. Climate change, in turn, adversely affects vulnerable populations, including the poor, minorities, and the residents of low-income countries who, in most cases, lack the necessary infrastructure to equip them for a changing climate (Benevolenza & DeRigne, 2019). Income gaps keep getting more prominent because of the long-running inequality perpetuating poverty and disadvantage, as people are deprived of resources and likely to have the least promising prospects. This clip is very pertinent to the issue of climate change, where these structural inequalities make it harder for those already vulnerable to climate-related disasters to mitigate and recover from them. One example is the low-income communities inhabiting the coastal areas or areas prone to extreme weather, which most likely do not have access to adequate shelter, healthcare, and emergency infrastructure that worsens conditions during storms, floods, and heatwaves.
Aside from that, poverty and social inequalities are on the rise because of the inclination of climate change to come between the rich and the poor. Sernau’s thoughts on economic inequality demonstrate how differences in income and asset accumulation reproduce the social divide and prevent people from achieving better social mobility. Climate change worsens the disparity among the people as the wealthiest nations have availed resources to position themselves to the adverse effects of climate change (Reckien et al., 2018). On the other hand, the less privileged bear the adverse impacts of environmental degradation and climate-related risks. For example, affluent households can easily afford climate-resilient infrastructure (Meerow, 2017). Low-income families may be denied insurance and disaster preparedness measures due to a lack of money, resulting in higher social injustice.
Moreover, climate change overlaps with other types of inequality that relate to gender, ethnicity, and race, increasing social inequality. Sernau talks about how looking at multiple identities helps us understand that different people experience not just their societal position but also marginalization in various ways. Regarding climate change, these intersecting inequalities eventually make the poor, especially women, people of color, and local communities, poorer. To illustrate, in several developing countries, women have more work than is needed to have water, food, and fuel for their homes (De Groot et al., 2017). Because of all this, they face more risks from weather phenomena like water scarcity, crop failure, and displacement. Similarly, the indigenous peoples have their level of emotions with them, together with their land as a means of work and living. Hence, one may end up suffering when this very resource is lost, while there are conflicts over resources made worse by the effects of climate change.
It is best to address the fact that climate change interfaces with societal inequalities like a network of many dimensions. Climate change deepens and widens existing economic, social, and environmental gaps. Through the lens of Sernau’s argument on injustice, we can appreciate the role of structural inequalities in exacerbating vulnerabilities and social disparities that undermine fair adaptation and mitigation practices. Climate change doesn’t mean only dealing with it but also addressing its root cause. This requires fair adaptation strategies and responsiveness to the communities needing protection.
Through the lens of climate conflict, the exacerbation of tensions and disputes over resources, territory, and livelihoods due to climate change can be examined, both within and between nations. Even though Sernau (2022) may not talk about climate change, anyway, his expertise on conflict can be used to unravel the way conflicts embroil the global problem.
Resource competition for scarce resources will increase, in particular in areas of the world affected by climate change, giving rise to conflicts like those for water, land, and natural resources. Sernau talks about frequent disputes over the resources or lands belonging to the same group, as some conflicts are due to both of these factors. Aggravation of this depletion is inevitably brought by precipitation changes and the rise in sea level, as well as desert expansion, most of all in the regions that are burdened with the scarcity of resources and threatened by population pressure. For instance, water disputes have been more severe in dry and semi-dry areas like the Middle East and North Africa than ever (Nairizi, 2017). Water scarcity is caused by Climate change and Transboundary agreements on water resources, which have led to tensions and conflicts over water rights and allocation.
Besides, ecologically driven displacement and migration are factors for political unrest and disagreement among people over resettlement, sharing of natural resources, and borderlines, respectively. Sernau brings up the example of how people’s migration can result in problems such as housing, jobs, or competition for social services. Climate change, increasing sea levels, exposure to extreme weather phenomena, and environmental degradation make millions of people migrate from their homeland, seeking stability and safety away (Miller, 2017). These movements contribute to the strain of host communities, where limited resources can cause competition, leading to the host community’s resentment towards migrants; the residents push for social tensions and conflicts about access to land, housing, and job opportunities. Besides, natural migration originating due to climatic changes may enhance ethnic intolerance and the emergence of sectarian boards, especially in places where these issues already exist.
Furthermore, it could be a source of conflict and mutual animosity if some nations do not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, others refuse to cooperate in climate change mitigation efforts. Sernau points out that one of the causes of conflict is the consequence of what might be perceived as unfair treatment and imbalances in terms of resources and power. In the context of climate change, emission gaps and the lack of sincere climate action by high-emitting and low-emitting countries fuel resentment and mistrust, which undermines international cooperation and hinders efforts to remedy the causes of climate change instead. Moreover, financial disagreements involving climate change, technology transfer, and intellectual property rights can enhance North-South rifts and hinder the pace of global climate-related goals’ fulfillment.
In brief, climate change overlaps the themes of conflicts in conspiring complications that aggravate contestations over resources, territory, and livelihoods. Given that, Sernau’s thoughts on conflict, if given appropriate contextual application, can lead us to see the determinants of conflict and, through that, come up with conflict prevention and resolution means. Working on climate change means also working on the underlying discontent and concomitant inequalities, nurturing collaboration among stakeholders and different actors, thus enhancing their resilience to the roots of conflict and promoting more sustainable peace.
Climatic changes involve a busy and intricate problem that would demand a multipronged approach to explore the culprits, repercussions, and feasible solutions. Repko’s (2020) Interdisciplinary research approach in the ten steps helps integrate diverse frameworks and methods with a scientific approach to tackle transnational challenges.
Firstly, the variability of climate is mixed due to the concomitance between nature, human interaction, and the kitchen with public policy. Climate change researchers need to have extensive knowledge of the science of climate, atmospheric physics, and environmental chemistry to interpret the links between the emergence of greenhouse gases and global warming, the increase in temperatures, and the changes in the ecosystems. Apart from this, social sciences, like sociology, economics, and political science, are also prominent in studying the social, economic, and political structures that affect the behavior of individuals, the institutional response, and government policies, such as climate change.
In addition to these, some areas such as public health, agriculture, and urban planning should be emphasized when considering the many sides of climate change’s effects on human health, food security, and urban resilience. For example, public health experts investigate the health risks caused by extreme heat, which leads to vector-borne diseases and air pollution, which become even more severe due to climate change (Ogden, 2017). In the same way, agricultural scientists deal with the consequences of changing precipitation patterns, extreme temperatures, crop yields, food production, and rural livelihoods. Furthermore, urban planners study the cities’ weaknesses of being vulnerable to rising sea levels, flooding, and heat waves, and seek solutions that will address the cities’ resilience and adaptation issues.
In essence, climate change needs a multidisciplinary perspective, which involves an interaction between varied disciplines of natural sciences, social sciences, and applied knowledge to deal with the diverse issues. Integrating several approaches and ways of thinking, interdisciplinary research produces non-conventional, cutting-edge solutions that foster sustainable development, greater resilience, and social equity in our fight against adverse climate change.
Coping with the problems of inequality and climate-related conflicts is a cumulative issue that needs to be tackled through an interdisciplinary and multi-level solution approach that addresses the reasons for vulnerability, strengthens resilience, and achieves sustainable development.
Accordingly, promoting equitable adaptation approaches should be the topmost agenda because climate change has worsened inequalities. This housing means that people in line with risky ecosystems have the resources, information, and necessary support to adapt to the new climatic conditions. Interdisciplinary approaches that combine the capabilities of climate scientists, social scientists, and community stakeholders in delivering locally appropriate adaptation measures, which proceed by making communities use the know-how that has more background in the subject and suits their needs better (Ebi & Otmani del Barrio, 2017). In a similar way, the infrastructure endurance, early warning systems, and sustainable livelihoods investments could build adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities and decrease their exposure to hazards caused by climate change.
Furthermore, creating all-inclusive leadership and participatory decision-making processes regarding resource sharing, territorial rights, and climate governance is integral to conflict challenge control. Inter-disciplinary collaborations among policymakers, academicians, civil society organizations, and local communities are very useful to create dialogue, trust, and agreement on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Through involving all the diverse stakeholders in decision-making processes, conflicting interests would be exposed, and the solutions can be designed to fit the needs and benefits of the specific community groups (Greenhalgh et al., 2016). For example, participatory techniques like community-based natural resource management and co-management of ecosystems may be helpful tools to help with reconciling conflicting interests and managing sustainable natural resources in the face of climate change.
Besides, the root causes of inequality, like poverty, social exclusion, and discrimination, also need to be addressed so as to create a rightful society and fight against climate change by building resilience against it. Interdisciplinary approaches that combine climate change mitigation and adaptation with poverty reduction, gender equality, and social inclusion, for example, increase co-benefits (Spencer et al., 2017). For instance, the development of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green infrastructure can generate jobs, lower emissions, and improve resilience to climate change, all the while promoting economic development and improving social justice.
Participating in climate-related conflicts and inequality problems requires interdisciplinary solutions that very much contribute to equality, inclusion, and environmental solutions. Interdisciplinary approaches that rely on multiple perspectives and expertise can generate solutions that are innovatively designed to handle the complicated and connected issues of climate change while promoting social justice and resilience of vulnerable communities.
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