Main page content

Spreading disease, spreading conflict? COVID-19, climate change and security risks

At the intersection of health, climate, and conflict risks, the paper identifies four key pathways through which COVID-19 can exacerbate climate-related security risks:

  • Increased pressure on livelihoods and resources.
  • Reduced effectiveness of migration as an adaptation strategy.
  • Weakened conflict responses and increased opportunities for non-state armed groups.
  • Increased risks in urban environments and violent protests.

The pandemic offers another opportunity to talk about how interconnected risks, including those created by climate change, can contribute to insecurity and conflict. Taking these risks and their interconnectedness into account is essential not just to build back, but to ‘build back better’.

This report therefore recommends a number of entry points that governments should take to respond to these evolving risks, and to ‘build back better’ both from the pandemic itself and the climate crisis:

  • Integrated analyses of risks and vulnerabilities.
  • Move to multi-sector and inclusive approaches.
  • Ensure additional and long-term funding.
  • Connect community-level and global action.
  • Make the case for multilateralism.

Download:

CSEN_Spreading Disease Spreading Conflict_2020

Listen to the podcast here.