Conflict Fatalities May Rise Due to Climate Change: IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a research released on Wednesday that climate change is expected to exacerbate conflicts in unstable and war-torn governments, leading to greater mortality rates and much lower GDP.

Every year, the World Bank updates its list of "fragile and conflict-afflicted states," of which there are presently 39, 21 of which are in Africa. The study released on Wednesday covers all 61 nations that have been on the list since 2006.

It was shown that although they intensify already existing discontent and other underlying fragilities like hunger and poverty, climatic shocks do not directly trigger wars.

Deaths from conflict as a share of the population could increase by close to 10% in fragile countries by 2060, the IMF said, adding that climate change could also push an additional 50 million people in fragile states into hunger by 2060.

The political will to act has been undermined by economic weakness, despite overwhelming evidence of climate change and recent global record temperatures.

Given that the majority of African nations have created a very small fraction of the emissions that cause global warming, African leaders have argued that wealthier nations should provide more money to assist them in adapting to climate change and making the switch to greener energy.

Prior to the COP28 UN climate summit in the United Arab Emirates commencing at the end of November, they are anticipated to strive to achieve a shared negotiating stance at the African Climate Summit from September 4–6, 2018.

Source: Reuters