Climater security

Two Degrees: Does climate change contribute to violence and war?

While drought is not the only cause of the Syrian conflict, the idea is that it has helped drive up social unrest. It increased unemployment, exacerbated famine and water scarcity, and forced farmers from their homes and into cities, where violence began.

There's scientific evidence to support the case.

In a 2014 study published in the journal Weather, Climate and Society, climate expert Peter Gleickwrote that "water and climatic conditions have played a direct role in the deterioration of Syria's economic conditions."

Furthermore, the idea that the drought, which was the worst ever recorded in the region, was worsened by climate change in the region was strengthened in another study published this year. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Columbia University say the multiyear drought that helped drive the conflict was made "two to three times more likely" by man-made global warming.