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Review: IOM Outlook on Migration, Environment and Climate Change
“Horn of Africa famine refugee” Photo by Oxfam
By Sandra Fatorić, Center for Climate and Security Research Fellow
The new International Organization for Migration (IOM) Outlook on Migration, Environment and Climate Change report is intended to be a reference publication on environmental and climate change migration, which targets policymakers, practitioners, researchers, international agencies, the private sector, donors, students, and think tanks. Environmental migration intersects a range of policy areas, including migration, climate change and environment, security, development, and humanitarian assistance. (more…)
New Research: Local Food Price Spikes Increase Likelihood of Unrest
Protesters marching in Cairo, “Bread, Freedom, Social Justice By, Mariam Soliman from Cairo, Egypt
This is a cross-post by Todd G. Smith via New Security Beat (see the original post for some great questions in the comments section).
From the Roman poet Juvenal’s observations about bread and circuses to Marie Antoinette’s proclamation, “let them eat cake!” the link between food and political stability is well established in pop culture. In academic and policy circles, however, it’s a source of considerable debate.
Since 2008, when the FAO Food Price Index spiked to previously unseen levels, reports of so-called “food riots” have become common. In 2011, researchers at the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) released a short paper presenting a compelling correlation between spikes in the FAO Food Price Index in 2008 (and again in 2011) and media reports of food riots across the Middle East and North Africa. (more…)
Cascading Disasters in the Mediterranean: Storm in Lampedusa
Last Friday the Mediterranean areas around Southern Italy experienced a rare “Medicane” event of tropical storm-like conditions. Jeff Master’s explains the science behind these rare weather events, and the likelihood of seeing more of them under a changing climate.
Storms of this nature are just one more stress to the small Italian island that is also a main point of entry to the European Union for migrants and refugees from places like Syria and Eritrea. The voyage from point of origin to the shores of Europe and Italy is no cruise (more…)
Event: US Foreign Policy, Climate Change and Natural Resources
The World Affairs Council is hosting (and live-streaming) an event tomorrow evening titled: In Pursuit of Prosperity: US Foreign Policy in an Era of Resource Scarcity. It is a timely topic and includes an impressive set of speakers.
The event is from 6:30-7:30Pm (presumably Pacific time) at the World Affairs Council Headquarters in San Francisco. If you are not able to attend you can watch it online as well. (more…)