South Asia is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. Many countries in the region lack the resources and capacities needed to cope with the worsening impacts of climate change. At the same time, climate change is increasingly interacting with socio-economic, demographic and political factors to exacerbate fragility risks.
This convergence of challenges implies that climate change not only undermines human security, but could also heighten conflict risks in South Asia. This risk brief charts out the ways in which the security implications of climate change manifest themselves in the region.
At present, there are no dedicated frameworks that directly address climate-fragility risks or the security implications of climate change in South Asia. In light of this, this risk brief also suggests a number of entry points for addressing these risks, which go beyond the overarching necessity to create more evidence-based and actionable knowledge on the region’s climate security.
