The Health Consequences of Climate Change-Associated Conflict

This book provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of how climate change-associated conflict will harm human health. Examining key concepts such as climate change as a threat multiplier and peace inhibitor, the book goes on to explore the ways in which climate change-associated conflict will result in the degradation or destruction of public health infrastructure and activity. At an international level, climate change driven increases in the incidence of conflict would disrupt trade of food and medical supplies. It would likely also see an overall shift in government spending from health and its determinants toward defence, resulting in poorer health globally. To more fully explore the health effects of climate change-associated conflict, Bowles also investigates some other tertiary effects, including reduced food availability, economic growth, health system capacity and increased migration. The book concludes with an analysis of how the discipline of public health can better anticipate and ameliorate the effects of climate change.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, public health, environmental sociology and conflict studies.