Climate change could increase armed conflict in Africa: study
Climate change could increase armed conflict in Africa: study

A new study suggests climate change could increase the likelihood and duration of armed conflicts throughout African regions.
Conducted by INGENIO Institute, a team of researchers with international universities, the study assessed data from 1990 to 2016, identifying a potential correlation between extreme weather events and violence in African communities, factoring in socio-economic characteristics and statistical weather patterns.
Its findings, which were published in the most recent issue of the journal Economia Politica, states that rises in temperature and prolonged precipitation – both environmental phenomena linked to climate change – increases the probability of conflict by four to five times in populations up to a radius of 550 km.
"The results we have obtained have far-reaching implications for territorial policies on the African continent,” Davide Consoli, one of the researchers at the INGENIO Institute, said in a news release.
“For example, changes in climatic conditions influence the likelihood of conflict over large areas, which means that the design of climate adaptation policies must consider the particularities of each territory.”
As increases in droughts and storm events have led to rampant food shortages throughout the continent, Consoli and fellow INGENIO researchers called for peacekeeping measures to be implemented in areas most susceptible to armed conflict.
"These measures are essential in the design and implementation of adaptive strategies for climate resilience,” he said in the news release.
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Feds quietly change rules to allow one-time ArriveCAN exemption at land border crossings
The Canadian Border Services Agency is temporarily allowing fully vaccinated travellers a one-time exemption to not be penalized if they were unaware of the health documents required through ArriveCan.

Prosecutor: Stab attack on Salman Rushdie was 'preplanned'
The man accused in the stabbing attack on Salman Rushdie pleaded not guilty Saturday to attempted murder and assault charges in what a prosecutor called a 'preplanned' crime, as the renowned author of 'The Satanic Verses' remained hospitalized with serious injuries.
More than 10,000 Canadians received a medically-assisted death in 2021: report
More Canadians are ending their lives with a medically-assisted death, says the third federal annual report on medical assistance in dying (MAID). Data shows that 10,064 people died in 2021 with medical aid, an increase of 32 per cent over 2020.
Canadian Blood Services in talks around paid donations of plasma as supply dwindles
Canadian Blood Services says it is in talks with companies that pay donors for plasma as it faces a decrease in collections.
LAPD ends investigation into Anne Heche car crash
The Los Angeles Police Department has ended its investigation into Anne Heche's car accident, when the actor crashed into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
Who is novelist Salman Rushdie and why has he faced death threats?
After facing years of controversy over his book, famed novelist Salman Rushie remains hospitalized after a stabbing attack left him with serious injuries. CTVNews.ca has a look at his life and why his work has prompted years of death threats.
FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Trump home
The FBI recovered documents that were labelled 'top secret' from former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.
About 14 per cent of Ontario hospitals reporting less than a week supply of epidural catheters: Ontario Health
Approximately 14 per cent of hospitals in Ontario are reporting they have less than a week’s worth of epidural catheters in stock, according to an Ontario Health memo sent to hospital chief executive officers on Friday.
N.W.T. RCMP deploy controversial roadside cannabis screening devices
RCMP in the Northwest Territories have begun using roadside cannabis-screening technology that has faced criticism from defence lawyers elsewhere in Canada.