Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
First Advisor
Robert Bartlett
Second Advisor
Edward McMahon
Keywords
Environmental, Vulnerability, Climate Change, Social Unrest
Abstract
A body of literature has identified links between existing social and environmental conditions and the likelihood of civil unrest due to future climate-driven events. Recent episodes of social unrest including, but not limited to the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War, increased terrorism and the Darfur conflict can be linked to previously existing environmental vulnerabilities. The literature identifies individual factors associated with climate-driven vulnerability for future social unrest, but no comprehensive index exists. An index of environmental vulnerability to climate-driven impacts as a possible predictor for hot-spots for future social unrest was created using previously identified variables via a review and analysis of prior journal articles and relevant international indices. A vulnerability assessment framework to climate-driven social unrest was developed to identify countries that appear highly vulnerable to such outbreaks based on chosen factors. Selected variables are complimented with the inclusion of national-level indicators that are selected from global indices for which data has previously been compiled. This index is a comparative tool to identify patters and opportunities for mitigation on the national level.
Recommended Citation
Grunebaum, Michela H., "Environmental Vulnerability and Social Unrest: A Comparative Index" (2018). Environmental Studies Electronic Thesis Collection. 50.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/envstheses/50