Managing Climate Change

Last meet we touched on, but deliberately did not elaborate upon, the international implications of climate change. This meet, let's focus on this topic. Discussions about international politics are rooted in geography. Geography is a wonderful contextual tool to explain behavior in international relations, like why the United States has grown exponentially without foreign invasion [as Bismarck noted, the US is "bordered to the north and south by weak neighbors, and to the east and west by fish], why Russia is stuck in a continuous cycle expanding beyond its means [when no natural border separates your capital from Napoleon and Hitler, holding buffer territory is the best remaining option], and why China historically sees little value in foreign intervention [foreign operations are difficult when you're isolated between the Himalayas, the Gobi Desert, and open ocean].

By extension, every aspect of politics is affected by environmental factors. Natural disasters and climate changes can have immediate and lasting effects on political powers. Civilizations from Mesa Verde to Easter Island have collapsed due to environmental degradation. Mongolia's two attempts to invade Japan (1274; 1282) were scuttled by typhoons. The government's poor response to the 1970 Bhola cyclone helped spark Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. Years of drought and ensuing famine helped prompt unrest in Syria that has since spiraled out of control.

The environment underlies every action in politics, even when it may not seem to be an overwhelming factor. As droughts, famines, heatwaves, hurricanes, snowstorms and wildfires become more common, managing the effects of climate change will be a central topic of the future. Even those that reject the idea of climate change will need to manage increasing migration from increasingly inhospitable land around the equator, funding ballooning rebuilding expenditures for areas devastated by natural disaster, and the subtle but real depletion of necessities like water. While it is currently seen as a "tangential" area of study in relation to international politics, humanity's relationship with the environment will become increasingly important as climate change progresses.

How will climate change's role in international affairs develop over the coming decades? Can international cooperation centered on environmental issues be effective? How will different regions be affected, and what will the repercussions be? Come discuss!