How Does Climate Exacerbate Root Causes of Conflict in Ethiopia?
Publisher: CGIAR
Author(s): Niklas Sax, Gamal Mohamed Hassan, Abdimajid Nunow Abdi, Tanía Ferrè Garcia, Ignacio Madurga-Lopez, Bia Carneiro, Theresa Liebig, Peter Läderach, and Grazia Pacillo
Date: 2023
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Disasters, Governance, Land, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Ethiopia
This factsheet gives answers on how climate exacerbates root causes of conflict in Ethiopia, using a climate security pathway analysis. Two main pathways are identified:
- Livelihood and Food Insecurity: The majority of Ethiopia’s land is vulnerable to climate extremes, which affect the availability of food. Local hotspots of food insecurity in the Tigray, Somali and Afar regions correlate with a higher occurrence of conflict, making them prone to climate security risks. Vulnerability to climate and conflict also differs along gender and age lines, while pastoralist livelihoods are particularly affected by the compounded pressure of climate effects and political marginalization. Natural disasters and biophysical changes have led to the displacement of people, adding to the large number of internally displaced people due to conflict, which are leading to further tensions with host communities in the areas of refuge.
- Resource Access and Availability: Climate variability and extreme events are putting pressure on Ethiopia’s natural resources of land and water. This is leading to an increase in conflict rooted in resource competition, particularly in border regions. These conflicts, particularly those around land, exacerbate ethnic violence between communities as they vie for territory and power within the context of ethnic federalism. Complicating matters further are conflicts arising between pastoralists and farmers over different land use options, including the transition towards large-scale farming and conservation programmes. These affect the availability and accessibility of pasture and water. Conflicts around water manifest at local, national and international levels. Such conflicts can concern issues related to access to water at boreholes, unequal distribution of water among industries and rural communities, as well as national water security among the riparian countries of the Nile River Basin.