By Ginny Gallardo
With climate change consistently being discussed in the media, it is easy to simply skip over these articles. However, it is important for people to realize just how important this issue is. This is an especially important topic when discussing rural areas in Africa. In these areas, many people rely on agriculture to survive. Also, people living in rural areas may not have access to running water and instead, must travel to fill buckets and baskets with water. One country that is heavily impacted by the extreme weather and increasing temperatures is South Sudan. South Sudan is a relatively new country, having only gained its independence in 2011. South Sudan is made up of many different tribes. It is wracked with problems such as a weak economy, weak government leaders and rampant poverty. Along with this, the tribes within the country have been fighting since before the split from Sudan.
These warring tribes only cause South Sudan’s situation to become even more precarious. These tribes are fighting for many different reasons. One of the main issues is food insecurity. Food insecurity plays on the issue of survival. The areas where most of these tribes live are dependent on cattle and agriculture. The drought that currently plagues South Sudan is causing these farmers and herders to have issues. Crops are failing and cattle are dying. When there is not a drought that affects the area, there is some kind of other dramatic event like a massive flood. These floods destroy homes and, again, kill cattle and crops. These perpetual extremes are causing more people to begin to resort to drastic measures.
The Murle tribe of the Jonglei state was facing this very issue. Instead of allowing their families to die, members of the Murle tribe began to steal cattle from a neighboring tribe, the Lou Nuer. They stole about 40,000 cattle. This has sparked a series of retaliatory attacks between the tribes. However, these are not the only two tribes that are fighting. Many other tribes are experiencing these same issues.
Many of the cattle herders are being forced to move their herds into enemy territory in order to feed and water their cattle. This causes only more conflict between the people and the tribes. These people are only trying to survive. However, with these rising temperatures, it is making is harder and harder for people to gain the basic necessities that they need to survive.
Hot temperatures cause crops to fail, which endangers farmers’ livelihoods. This creates incentive for people to rebel and turn to more nefarious ways to secure their lives. Marshall Burke, a research associate at Stanford University’s Program on Food Security and the Environment wrote that the rise in temperatures could lead to this conclusion which could very likely lead to an increase in the number of wars that break out in Africa. Africa is especially prone to this problem because it is the most agriculturally dependent region in the world.
Turning back to South Sudan, it starts to seem that Burke’s argument holds some validity. As South Sudan has had to deal with rising temperatures and the resulting effects of it, there has been an increase in the weapons proliferation. It can be argued that this has been an issue before because of the conflict between South Sudan and Sudan the increase cannot be ignored. More people are turning to illegal activity as a way to survive. They cannot make it through legal means and so instead of starving, they are turning to their last resort.
When more people turn away from activities such as starting a new company or farming or herding, they are only weakening the economy even more. A weak economy leads to a weaker government. In a country as new as South Sudan, this could be disastrous. A weak economy also leads even more people to turn to illegal activity. This is a vicious cycle that must be broken. To do this, it is paramount to start at the root of the problem. The rise of global temperatures is not something to be taken lightly. It is a real risk. While droughts and most floods can usually be combatted against in more developed countries, countries like South Sudan are not so lucky. Do not just throw money at the country when it is in trouble. This is a systemic issue that must be dealt with on a global level. Climate change affects us all. As human beings, it is our duty to help those who need it. It is time for something to be done to ending the suffering.
Ginny Gallardo is an Assistant Online Editor for the Sigma Iota Rho Journal of International Relations. She is senior at Baylor University, majoring in International Studies and Political Science.