The research led by Marshall Burke, a University of California economist, suggested that a one-degree rise in temperature could increase the risk of African civil war by 55 per cent by 2030.
This in turn would lead to 390,000 deaths in combat in sub-Saharan Africa, said the study, assuming future wars areas deadly as recent ones.
"Our study finds that climate change could increase the risk of African civil war by over 50 per cent in 2030 relative to 1990, with huge potential costs to human livelihoods," said Burke.
According to him, small changes to temperatures will affect crop growth and most of sub-Saharan Africa’s poor rely on agriculture for their livelihood, The Telegraph reported.
Edward Miguel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley, said: "When temperatures rise, the livelihoods of many in Africa suffer greatly, and the disadvantaged become more likely to take up arms."
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first hard evidence linking global warming to fighting. It is based on data from 20 global warming models and a historical examination of the links between climate and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Africa World News