According to the research, terrorist organisations try to turn complaints against the government into violent deeds
There is no direct link between terrorism and a nation or region that is facing the effects of climate change, according to a report based on the 10th edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) published on Tuesday.
GTI has warned that climate change has given terrorist organizations a chance to raise money, spread their message, and recruit new members by enabling them to take advantage of extreme weather events to fill the gaps left by governments unable to provide humanitarian aid, frequently in remote areas.
The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), which has its headquarters in Sydney, published a report based on the index on Tuesday that stressed there is no direct link between terrorism and a nation or region that is facing the effects of climate change.
It cited the Long-Term Climate Risk Index (2000–19) of nations most impacted by climatically linked extreme occurrences from the non-governmental organisation Germanwatch. According to the report, it includes both nations where terrorism is a minor concern, such Haiti, the Bahamas, and Nepal, as well as those where it is a serious problem, like the Philippines, Mozambique, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The terrorist group Lashkar-e Taiba’s front organisation at the time, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, “offered major humanitarian support in Pakistan following disastrous floods in 2010”, the study stated.
The 2008 Mumbai attacks, which left 175 people dead, were the work of Laskhar.
According to the research, terrorist organisations try to turn complaints against the government into violent deeds. Of the 830 million people who are food insecure worldwide, 58% reside in the 20 nations where terrorism is most prevalent. Several of the nations most impacted by terrorism are also those with the lowest water availability.
According to the report, many nations are dealing with significant ecological changes that are more likely to occur in areas rife with conflict and overlap with terrorism. It is acknowledged that there is a connection between ecological problems, climate change, and peace, even if the relationship between terrorism and ecological threats has been generally understudied.
Despite not being the sole cause of terrorism, the report stated that ecological challenges can destabilise society and foster an atmosphere that terrorist organisations can take advantage of and flourish in.
Additionally, the interaction of ecological dangers with socioeconomic factors may push a nation into an endless cycle of escalating hardship. As a result of the interaction and convergence of ecological dangers with other hazards already present as well as state pressures and weaknesses, there is an increased risk of instability or terrorism.
According to the research, the upheaval that follows a disaster can lead to or worsen state-level vulnerabilities that terrorist organisations may choose to take advantage of. The degree to which a nation can recover from the shock of a natural disaster is primarily determined by pre-existing vulnerabilities, both political and societal.
Disasters can also deepen already-existing tensions and expose governments to further scrutiny. As a result, after a natural disaster, a government’s capacity to maintain order and provide security in disaster-affected areas may suffer dramatically. Instability is both a result of and a cause of food insecurity.
