11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
[HGG01-08] Did climate change cause wars in history? A dialogue between geographers and social scientists
Keywords:Climate change, War, Geography, Social science, Population and environment
The interrelation between human activities and the physical environment is complex. Perhaps scholars can start by looking back at the past for related knowledge, which may help interpret the situation nowadays. One of the topics in human history is worth investigating: Did climate change cause wars?
While a growing number of quantitative studies (particularly in geography) illustrate the climate-war relationship in pre-industrial societies, there are opposing opinions. Such conflicting views invite us to reconsider whether the climate-war relationship can be taken as a yes/no question. This presentation seeks to address this issue. I will first summarize the key findings of those quantitative studies of geographers that prove the significant role of climate change in causing wars. Then I will pinpoint those issues that complicate the conceptualization of the climate-war relationship, indicating that the relationship cannot be taken as a simple yes/no question. Finally, I will propose a research approach that may facilitate a productive interdisciplinary collaboration, perhaps between geographers and social scientists, to research the interconnection between climate change and wars in history.
I hope that the interpretation of the climate-war relationship can move away from a yes/no question and that the multiple dimensions of wars and social resilience to climate change will be thoroughly considered. Also, the advantages of geography and social science could be integrated to enrich the understanding of the interrelation between human activities and the environment in the past and the present.
While a growing number of quantitative studies (particularly in geography) illustrate the climate-war relationship in pre-industrial societies, there are opposing opinions. Such conflicting views invite us to reconsider whether the climate-war relationship can be taken as a yes/no question. This presentation seeks to address this issue. I will first summarize the key findings of those quantitative studies of geographers that prove the significant role of climate change in causing wars. Then I will pinpoint those issues that complicate the conceptualization of the climate-war relationship, indicating that the relationship cannot be taken as a simple yes/no question. Finally, I will propose a research approach that may facilitate a productive interdisciplinary collaboration, perhaps between geographers and social scientists, to research the interconnection between climate change and wars in history.
I hope that the interpretation of the climate-war relationship can move away from a yes/no question and that the multiple dimensions of wars and social resilience to climate change will be thoroughly considered. Also, the advantages of geography and social science could be integrated to enrich the understanding of the interrelation between human activities and the environment in the past and the present.