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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Cindy Lou Parker, MD, MPH, Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., E2146, Baltimore, MD 21205, (443) 287-6734, ciparker@jhsph.edu

Climate change adds additional stress to ecosystems, further jeopardizing their ability to provide the ecosystem services humans rely on for survival: fresh water, food, shelter, and fuel. Sea level rise, extreme weather events, droughts, and floods not only threaten the wellbeing of people, but also the land on which they depend. Desertification, deforestation, dying coral reefs, and soil erosion all conspire to make it even harder for humans to meet their basic needs. Ironically, steps taken to reduce climate change may lead to greater potential conflict. With fuel prices rising precipitously, traditional food crops are being diverted to ethanol production to fuel cars that are driven primarily in industrialized nations, while those in developing countries experience greater food scarcity. Competition for shrinking resources among the world's most needy, as well as the widening gap between the rich and the poor, increase the potential for conflict.

Paradoxically, the presence of abundant natural resources in developing countries does not guarantee exemption from conflict. In fact, extraction of these resources often leads to even greater environmental degradation and violence. The interrelationships between global environmental change and conflict will be explored and potential solutions suggested.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore the interrelationships between global environmental change and conflict.
• List 3 specific aspects of global environmental change that could lead to increased violence.
• Identify 3 potential solutions to break the cycle of violence between global environmental change and conflict.

Keywords: Climate Change, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No