Abstract

This paper examines climate change induced migration, human security, and the subsequent economic, political, and social fallout. By Examining the Arab spring through the lens of climate science, it becomes clear that climatic variability and a fragile global agricultural commodity system played an imperative role in sparking the 2011 Arab Spring and resulting civil conflicts. Next, I explore the international and regional policy responses to rising tides in the South Pacific. Low lying Pacific Island nations are among the most vulnerable nations in the world to climate change, and most residents will be forced to migrate off-island in the coming decades. I have found that successful mitigation of climate change requires cooperative and proactive international policy. Without a more comprehensive global approach, the developing nations of the global South will experience high rates of climate induced migration. While the global South emits only a fraction of the world’s greenhouse gasses, because of their limited ability to cope with a more severe climate, they will suffer the most severely.

First Advisor

Nick Kontogeorgopoulos

Degree Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in International Political Economy

Date of Award

Spring 5-20-2021

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