Undercurrents: How Conflict, Climate Change and the Environment Intersect in Yemen
Publisher: adelphi
Author(s): Sinéad Barry, Beatrice Mosello, Spencer McMurray, and Lucas Destrijcker
Date: 2024
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Prevention, Land, Livelihoods, Programming, Renewable Resources
Countries: Yemen
Undercurrents examines the complex relationship between war, increasing climate-related hazards and environmental degradation in Yemen that are undermining security and driving further conflict, particularly at the local level. Undertaken in collaboration with the European Institute of Peace, the assessment highlights why climate and environmental action must be part of Yemen’s conflict mitigation and peacebuilding processes at different levels.
In 2024, Yemen entered its tenth year of civil war. Fought primarily between the Yemeni government, Houthi forces and international proxies, the war has caused one of the largest global humanitarian disasters since 1945. In addition to the violent power struggles of national and regional actors, an array of local conflicts results in significant casualties and destruction each year. Many of Yemen’s local conflicts revolve around access to dwindling natural resources, particularly water and land – a problem that has plagued the country and its people for decades. Now, climate change and the environmental impacts of the war are critically reducing the availability of natural resources, undermining social cohesion and fuelling conflict. This assessment aims to highlight the deep environmental and climate crises that are unfolding amidst Yemen’s civil war, perpetuating conflict among Yemenis today and undermining long-term peace efforts.