The Climate-Conflict-Displacement Nexus
The compounding effects of climate change, violent conflict, and forced migration are having a profound impact on communities around the globe.
Already, the impacts of climate change are forcing people from their homes and driving conflicts over scarce resources. A 2023 report from U.N. experts found that the climate crisis has impacted tens of millions of people, leading to increased food insecurity, a surge in mass migration, and billions of dollars in losses and damages.
As one of the largest historic contributors to climate change, the United States has a moral duty to help the countries that are bearing the brunt of these intersecting consequences adapt to the challenges they face.
The funding the U.S. allocates towards this goal is known as international climate assistance. Unfortunately, conversations surrounding this assistance have too often been removed from conversations about forced displacement or peacebuilding.
Intertwining Peacebuilding and Climate Solutions
Many of the countries facing the most severe climate impacts are also the most affected by state fragility and violent conflict. That means their governments have fewer resources and capacity to respond to disasters when they strike. This has led to displacement in fragile states, more than doubling the displaced population of other countries.
The U.S. must recognize how climate change, conflicts, and forced migration intersect and develop holistic responses.
For example, political and ethnic violence, economic challenges, and the extreme shocks of climate change have combined to drive high rates of forced displacement in the Horn of Africa. But most attempts by the United States government to address these issues have focused on only one aspect at a time, ultimately undermining their overall effectiveness.
Take, for example, a 2015 USAID food security program in Ethiopia. The program sought to respond to extreme drought in a border region that’s also impacted by ethnic conflict over resources. While the program had some success in building drought resilience, its impact was ultimately diminished because it failed to integrate peacebuilding work to address insecurity in the region.
A Quaker Call to Invest in Humanity
The shortcomings of the 2015 USAID program in Ethiopia highlight a critical lesson: The United States must recognize how climate change, conflicts, and forced migration intersect and develop holistic responses to address these challenges.
Doing so will require a broader rethinking of how we invest in climate solutions. Currently, the United States is spending billions of dollars on ineffective programs led by the Pentagon to address national security concerns created by climate change.
The way we respond to these perils will not only shape our future, but will also reverberate across the globe and influence the destinies of millions.
In his latest budget request, President Biden proposed more than $5 billion in additional Pentagon spending for “enhancing combat capability and mitigating climate risk.”
Instead, the United States must invest in demilitarized approaches that are both more effective and cost-efficient. By reallocating resources towards international climate assistance, sustainable development, and peacebuilding, we could better address the root causes of challenges like climate-related conflicts and migration that impact both our country and the globe.
The way our country responds to these perils will not only shape our future, but will also reverberate across the globe and influence the destinies of millions. The Quaker commitments to stewardship and “taking away the occasion of all wars” teach us that lessening suffering and providing the security people need to thrive are causes that involve everyone. That’s why we need your help to urge the U.S. government to provide robust funding for international climate assistance and peacebuilding efforts to help plant the seeds of a better future.
