Credit: Scientific American
Like it says, the revision is for Africa. The estimate has doubled from 2 to 4 billion.
Overpopulation is a key issue in The Pathfinders (working title). How do we fund or justify interstellar travel, against a backdrop of overwhelming need? Population is one thing, climate change is another. Both are intersecting.
Climate Civil Wars
There's good reason to believe the Syrian Civil War is a water war. Thomas Friedman gave his assessment of this in the New York Times:
"This Syrian disaster is like a superstorm. It’s what happens when an extreme weather event, the worst drought in Syria’s modern history, combines with a fast-growing population and a repressive and corrupt regime and unleashes extreme sectarian and religious passions, fueled by money from rival outside powers..."
It is perilous to analyze a recent conflict, more so a current one. Historians are often uncomfortable with this, because we simply don't have the sources yet. We certainly do not have the benefit of detachment.
Bearing this in mind, let's try. Here are some factors that can trigger climate civil wars:
- Underdeveloped, growing population (lots of young, angry, uneducated men)
- Poor water access
- Shit government
Overpopulation is a key issue in The Pathfinders (working title). How do we fund or justify interstellar travel, against a backdrop of overwhelming need? Population is one thing, climate change is another. Both are intersecting.
Climate Civil Wars
There's good reason to believe the Syrian Civil War is a water war. Thomas Friedman gave his assessment of this in the New York Times:
"This Syrian disaster is like a superstorm. It’s what happens when an extreme weather event, the worst drought in Syria’s modern history, combines with a fast-growing population and a repressive and corrupt regime and unleashes extreme sectarian and religious passions, fueled by money from rival outside powers..."
It is perilous to analyze a recent conflict, more so a current one. Historians are often uncomfortable with this, because we simply don't have the sources yet. We certainly do not have the benefit of detachment.
Bearing this in mind, let's try. Here are some factors that can trigger climate civil wars:
- Underdeveloped, growing population (lots of young, angry, uneducated men)
- Poor water access
- Shit government
- Neighbors with these problems, too.
There are many places in Asia and Africa that already match these criteria. Global warming and increasing population will aggravate these. Religious fundamentalism has already been fueled in particular by the first. It will be interesting to see if decades from now, historians decide to attribute recent religious extremism partly to climate change. It is of course, too early to tell.
What does this have to do with my book?
The dislocation climate change will bring is important to the book. In part, because it's expected. I can't write about 2050, unless I try and depict 2050 as best we can predict it. "Cli-Fi" is also in right now.
There are many places in Asia and Africa that already match these criteria. Global warming and increasing population will aggravate these. Religious fundamentalism has already been fueled in particular by the first. It will be interesting to see if decades from now, historians decide to attribute recent religious extremism partly to climate change. It is of course, too early to tell.
What does this have to do with my book?
The dislocation climate change will bring is important to the book. In part, because it's expected. I can't write about 2050, unless I try and depict 2050 as best we can predict it. "Cli-Fi" is also in right now.
Secondly, war means action scenes! If I can have a stealth Abrams fight an exo-suit, I will. Writing needs to be fun. For me, that's Chinese aircraft carriers and US drones-on-the-ground.
Thirdly - I wanted to explore a conflict it can create, over the use of space. One camp wants resources committed to getting people off the planet. The world's powers are building orbitals as new, stable, living spaces. The other camp wants to send expeditions to the nearest stars.
How do you fund exploration and science, during a challenge as great as a World War?
Thirdly - I wanted to explore a conflict it can create, over the use of space. One camp wants resources committed to getting people off the planet. The world's powers are building orbitals as new, stable, living spaces. The other camp wants to send expeditions to the nearest stars.
How do you fund exploration and science, during a challenge as great as a World War?
Or can we? World War optimism.
Navin Weeraratne
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