Climate Crisis: Africa, Asia, Latin America

A post-failed state: what happens next? - A Kyrgyzstan Case Study

Climate Crisis Affects More Than Just The Environment Christian Parenti’s Tropic of Chaos touched on the topic of how drought in Afghanistan amplified the opium drug trade, worsened the effects of the war, and left holes open for extremists to take control. This topic caught my eye the most as Parenti illustrated to what extent the climate crisis is capable of affecting every aspect of society. The environment is not something that exists in specified areas or out in the wild, it is something that every inch of the Earth, no matter how much concrete, infrastructure, or humans live within it. As much as society exists as a means to escape the environment, it still exists within it and is molded by it. The effects of climate change are something that permeate into every crevice of society, going as deep as accelerating civil wars or creating a drug epidemic.  History of Drought and Flooding in Afghanistan  The climate crisis in Afghanistan has led to record breaking droughts ov...

According to Parenti’s Tropic of Chaos, Afghanistan produced 90% of the world’s opium population in 2011. How are they able to do this? By growing and selling poppies. The best environment for poppies to germinate is in an area with a significant amount of dry soil and daylight. Parenti states, “...poppy uses only one-sixth the water needed for wheat.” As climate change is increasingly becoming worse, the high temperatures and droughts for Afghanistan are becoming worse. However, this is a huge benefit when it comes to planting and producing poppies. Although poppy production is increasing with drought, it’s not an invincible plant. Yes, it uses less water to germinate and grow, but extreme droughts can prevent this from happening at all. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ), cultivation had a 32% increase and poppy production had a 10% decrease in 2022 due to the droughts. The efforts of farmers are increasing while the results are not what they are hopi...

   The Leptoptilos Crumenifer, commonly known as the Marabou Stork, is widely known in Africa -- its home. Briefly written about in Christian Parenti's book, Tropic of Chaos , the Marabou Stork is said to be the "mascot of drought" (Parenti, pg. 61). While travelin g to Garissa, Parenti came across "massive flocks of them perched everywhere" and refers to them in a matter that paints them to have a sole purpose of eating the marrow from the bones of the cattle killed by the drought. However, Marabous have a much bigger purpose and are not simply the "mascots of drought". They are, however, being taken out by climate change and biodiversity loss in Africa. Leptoptilos Crumenifer, or "Marabou Stork" is sometimes referred to as the unofficial national bird of Uganda.     With the urbanization and building of more cities all over Africa comes a huge loss of ecosystems and environmental homes to so much wildlife. The drought that Parenti talks abo...

Christian Perenti’s book shines light on all different areas in the world where climate change is taking a hefty toll. One of these areas that stood out was the Afghanistan drought and famine. This book was made around 10 years ago, so the statistics have only gotten worse as the years have gone on. Today, 79% of homes say that they do not have enough water for their daily needs. Due to these drought conditions, there has been a major food shortage as well. Around 20 million people are food insecure, as well as 6 million people in famine-like conditions (UNICEF, 20 Nov 2022) .  Now, why did this happen? Where did it start? And lastly, can you help? The main root of the drought is the 2020 wave of La niña. This event changed water precipitation all over the world. This caused much more dry conditions for Afghanistan. Afghanistan has seen regular droughts on and off for years, yet never anything this long and intense. At the same time, the Taliban was also taking over which froze al...

  Kashmir is a region of land that borders India, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The book Tropic of Chaos, by Christian Parenti, explains this region of land as rich in natural resources. Kashmir is a region of land with forests, mountains, minerals, glaciers, and overall, a lot to offer to whatever country it is a part of. Kashmir is a highly desired and sought after piece of land. The conflict between Pakistan and India is over this region of land. Pakistan wants to have control over Kashmir because 90% of their agricultural irrigation depends on rivers that start in Kas hmir. Meanwhile, India sees Kashmir as a “resource frontier and geostrategic asset that was too valuable to concede.”   Not only because of the resources from the water, but also because they had the economic strength to develop the untapped wat er and mineral resources. Along with those reasons, India also occupying Kashmir would bring them closer to other big countries in Central Asia and give them ...

Christian Parenti’s Tropic of Chaos emphasizes our need to act urgently and effectively to mitigate and adapt to our changing planet. The Global South faces climate-driven crises exasperated by the combination of political, economic, and environmental disasters; the catastrophic convergence (Parenti, 7). As the climate crisis continues to unfold, it is crucial to maintain clean and accessible water systems and to prevent mass loss of land and life due to flooding. Loss of clean water access and livable land is a major concern brought up by Parenti. In Chapter 11 he addresses the conflict between India and Pakistan, stemming from each sides need for water. Parenti writes that climate change is increasing water stress and creating conflicts across South and Central Asia. While these conflicts are not exclusively caused by either climate change or access/rights to water, these issues “are key drivers of the conflict” (Parenti 123). He describes the increasing frequency to be expected as t...

The book Tropic of Chaos by Christian Parenti dives into the problems of climate change and how these problems are creating chaos throughout many countries in the global south. One of these countries is Afghanistan. According to Parenti, Afghanistan faced a major drought in the year 2010 that was directly tied to climate change. The drought made it difficult for farmers to produce their normal crops like wheat, onions, and apricots (Parenti, 106). With conditions like drought leading to poverty around the country, farmers turned to alternative ways of making money, growing poppy. Poppy fields thrive in drought conditions as they only require a sixth of the water that is required to grow wheat. Poppy is also more profitable than wheat, which is another driving factor for these poor farmers to grow poppy instead of grains (Parenti, 107). One farmer was quoted saying, “Three years ago we didn’t grow much poppy, now everyone grows it, even the police chief (Parenti, 108).” Poppy plants ...

  Rio De Janeiro is a picturesque city that attracts millions of tourists and accounts for 60% of Brazilian GDP ( Tourism and GDP ). It is home to beautiful coastlines, stunning mountains, and a vibrant culture in the big city. However, violence has plagued the city over the past decades. In 2009, more than eleven hundred people were killed by police forces ( Tropic of Chaos ). Gang violence is prevalent and drug trade fills the market. In 2000, the murder rate per 100,000 was found to be 56.6 ( Crime in Brazil ), a murder rate 6x that of New York City. One may ask where all this violence stems from. It is a complex problem that begins with slavery in the past that created lasting social inequalities, and continues today with the Climate Crisis exacerbating the problem.   Relative deprivation is a factor introduced in Christian Parenti’s book, Tropic of Chaos, that helps to explain why horrific forms of violence continue to persist in this city. This phrase describes that c...