Lecture 20: Societal Effects of Climate Change

• Societal risks of climate change include famine, climate refugees, cultural diaspora, and war
• About a quarter of the world's population experiences some sort of food insecurity, with higher percentages in Africa and lower percentages in North America and Europe
• Many cultures around the world rely on subsistence farming for most of their calories, making them vulnerable to climate-related disasters
• Climate-related disasters like drought, extreme temperatures, storms, and floods can devastate crops and lead to increased food insecurity
• Food insecurity exacerbates other problems like disease, educational attainment, political unrest, and war
• Climate refugees


  People who relocate due to declining local conditions caused by climate change
• An estimated 25 million climate refugees have already relocated, with areas like river deltas, small islands, deserts, and the Arctic being particularly vulnerable
• Climate refugee examples


  • Shishmaref, Alaska
  • New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
• Cultural diaspora


  The dispersal and loss of a population's cultural history and identity when they are forced to relocate due to climate change
• The Syrian civil war was exacerbated by a severe drought that caused farmers to migrate to urban areas, leading to unrest and conflict
• Climate change will affect everyone, regardless of profession or views on the environment, so understanding its societal impacts is crucial