Climate stress, in the form of severe droughts, extreme heat or rapid floods, is not new to the Middle East, but the situation is worsening due to climate change and the increased vulnerability of e.g. war-affected communities. In the project Societal Impacts of Climate Stress - An Integrated Assessment of Drought, Vulnerability and Conflict in Syria, Dr. Lina Eklund and her colleagues have sought to move away from the Syrian climate-migration-conflict narrative and focus more on how climate stress has affected Syrian society before and after the start of the Syrian civil war. In this seminar, Dr. Lina Eklund presents the findings of the project, which focus on drought patterns, drought-induced migration and land abandonment in Syria, the climate vulnerability of the agricultural system, and the risk of agricultural collapse.
Speakers
Research Fellow, Environmental Security, Conflict and Migration
UNU-INWEH
