In ancient China, intellectuals, artists, and sometimes court officials would retire to the countryside during times of political and dynastic chaos. As we look at the world today, there is so much transition and change, too often accompanied by human suffering. It is easy to understand the desire to retreat from civic life during times of turmoil or when things don’t go as wished or planned.
During a contemporary lifetime – those of us alive and breathing at this time in human history – these periods of social chaos most often victimize people living in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The horrors of the European experience – World War I and a more globalized WW II – seem distant from the current suffering in Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and so many parts of our heating planet.
Scientists and historians are still debating the role of climate change as a factor in the Syrian civil war. The war was undoubtedly rooted in complex political and religious histories. However, water availability, climate variability, and drought were important factors behind the displacement of rural people into cities. And those conditions indeed resulted in food insecurity and higher unemployment. Clearly, those conditions can contribute to political instability. As temperatures increase, there will be more examples of the impacts of climate change on nations, tribes, and regions.
