US intelligence estimated the likelihood of military conflicts in the world due to water shortages
On the eve of next month's UN climate conference in Scotland, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its first report on the threats to national security posed by global climate change. American intelligence agencies have concluded that these threats will increase.
The report was published on the official ODNI website.
In our assessment, climate change will increasingly exacerbate risks to US national security interests
- the report says.
One of the most significant climate threats is the lack of water resources. US intelligence has estimated the likelihood of military conflicts in the world due to water shortages. For 2021, it is rated as “low”. But by 2030 the risk will grow to “medium”, and by 2040 it will already be “high”.
The document names the countries that the authors consider the most vulnerable to the coming climate change. For example, Afghanistan, which combines an arid climate and an ineffective government, from the point of view of the speakers, is alarming.
In East Asia, the Mekong River is already an area of growing controversy over dam construction, mainly by China. They threaten to reduce the amount of water used downstream by small countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam.
The freshwater bodies of North Africa and the Middle East are vulnerable to salt water ingress even in the event of a slight rise in sea level caused by melting of glaciers due to global warming.
The report also notes that increased competition for Arctic resources, which have become more accessible as a result of higher average annual temperatures and a decrease in the thickness of the ice cover, should be expected.
Information