Syrian conflict linked to drought exacerbated by climate change
MAR 03, 2015
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028684
New York Times : From 2006 through 2009, Syria suffered its most extreme drought in modern times. According to a new computer-modeling study by Colin Kelley of the University of California, Santa Barbara, the drought’s unusual severity was most likely due to the effects of climate change. Whether the drought contributed to the outbreak in 2011 of Syria’s continuing civil war is controversial. Crop failures prompted up to 1.5 million people to move from rural areas to Syria’s towns and cities, intensifying social tensions. However, the initial protests that sparked the war were largely for political, not economic, reforms.
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