Ecoviolence

Edited by Thomas Homer-Dixon and Jessica Blitt

Contributions by Peter Gizewski, Philip Howard, Kimberly Kelly and Valerie Percival

Ecoviolence explores links between environmental scarcities of key renewable resources_such as cropland, fresh water, and forests_and violent rebellions, insurgencies, and ethnic clashes in developing countries. Detailed contemporary studies of civil violence in Chiapas, Gaza, South Africa, Pakistan, and Rwanda show how environmental scarcity has played a limited to significant role in causing social instability in each of these contexts. Drawing upon theory and key findings from the case studies, the authors suggest that environmental scarcity will worsen in many poor countries in coming decades and will become an increasingly important cause of major civil violence.

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Reviews

These days speculation is rampant about whether environmental stresses and scarcities are factors contributing to violent conflict within societies. This volume-based on carefully structured case studies from five very different countries-offers a valuable reality check. Ecoviolence effectively demonstrates that the causal relationships between the environment and societal unrest are considerably more complex than is widely presumed.
– Marvin S. Soroos, North Carolina State University At last, Thomas Homer-Dixon and Jessica Blitt have brought together the products of a major research effort in one volume. This is a very readable book and highly recommended for all courses that deal with the environment and security.
– Dennis Pirages, University of Maryland at College Park Throughout Ecoviolence, the various authors usually give carefully constructed accounts that avoid overstating the environmental case. Ecoviolence gives a much better picture of how environmental concerns can produce frequently unmanageable civil wars and regional warfare.
– The Journal Of Conflict Studies This is a fascinating and well-written analysis which is “must” reading for any course or other serious analysis of the interplay between the environment and popular uprisings in response to its continuing degradation.
– American Society of International Law ecoviolence