A study conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia highlights the complex ways in which climate change directly affects patterns of terrorism.
The study, which carefully analyzed the relationship between climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall and altitude and terrorism in India, represents a fundamental advance in our understanding of the dynamics of global security, says Earth.com.
"Our suitability analyses show a clear link between all the climatological variables tested and changing patterns of terrorist activity," says Jared Dmello, lead author of the study, which was recently published in the journal Applied Security Research.
The results of the study indicate that as cities become more populated, especially those with better climates, extremists are forced to abandon their traditional areas. - places that become less habitable due to the change in climatic conditions.
The study, which analyzes not only the locations of terrorist attacks, suggests that climate change is likely to have an impact on other aspects of extremist behavior - for example, the choice of locations where they train.
"Average temperatures in India reached historic highs during our study, providing a comprehensive backdrop for assessing the intersection between climate change and extremism," notes Dmello.
The intensity of climate change has contributed to the displacement of terrorists to new areas. Moreover, this change in terrorist activity has also followed a seasonal pattern.
"This research shows that curbing the harmful effects of climate change is not just an environmental issue, but is directly related to national security and defense," adds the researcher.
The study's authors therefore call for policies that address climate change and terrorism together, rather than in isolation, with an emphasis on integrated approaches that can tackle the root causes of both issues.
