Climate-Driven Violence on the Ground – Interview with Peter Schwartzstein

Do we give enough consideration to climate and environmental factors in our analyses of conflicts? How did the Islamic State leverage the decline in agricultural yields to recruit new fighters? In this fourteenth episode, Mathilde Jourde, research fellow at the Defense and Climate Observatory, hosts journalist Peter Schwartzstein, who presents the key insights from his recently published book,The Heat and The Fury. Drawing from his field experiences, our guest explores the major security challenges posed by climate change, highlighting its role as a driver of violence that is often overlooked, as well as the opportunities it presents with regards to post-conflict reconstruction efforts for instance. 

Peter Schwartzstein is a journalist specialised in environmental issues and an associate researcher at the Center for Climate and Security. As an expert on the Middle East and North Africa, he focused specifically on the interplay between environmental issues and security challenges. In this podcast, he shares his numerous field experiences and offers insights on the potential new forms of conflict related to climate change that may arise.

📕 Peter Schwartzstein, The Heat and The Fury (Island press, 2024)