Of Climate Change and Extremism

The U.S. is perhaps the most active nation in terms of global influence and participation. Since the September 11 attacks that claimed that lives of almost 3,000 people, the U.S. has been actively involved in worldly affairs and are doing what they can to stop terrorism. For example, the U.S. has been giving aid to foreign nationalities with the primary aim of winning the hearts of the people and getting their trust. Unfortunately, this strategy may not be so effective at all in selected nations.

Climate change has now become a primary concern for all people especially that it has already claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced millions more. The frequent occurrence of earthquakes, cyclones, and other environmental calamities has caught the attention of world leaders and their government. There is a growing belief that climate change may not only inflict damage through environmental hazards but may also fuel and encourage more people to adopt extremism.

In Pakistan, the continuous downpour of rain has already affected at least 14 million people. It is now considered in Pakistan as the worst flood in its entire history. There are now at least 1,600 people who lost their lives in this massive catastrophe. And just recently, the U.S. government has been particularly concerned with the existence of a charity group that is believed to be linked to Al Qaeda that is giving aid to the stranded Pakistani people.

There is already an intense pressure in the government of Pakistan to provide aid and relief goods as quickly as possible. People have grown tired and weary waiting for the government’s slow response. The actions of the charity is seen by the U.S. as a strategy to lure people against the government and into extremism. This is a very troubling find especially of the millions of people directly affected by the disaster.

This particular happening clearly showed how climate change can really be a serious threat. Not only can it inflict massive environment disasters but also cause conflict and unjust. And since the U.S. government has been very concerned with national security, perhaps they can look at this situation as a stepping stone in securing the country against radical extremists. The people in Pakistan need immediate response. If we want them to trust us and reject these terror groups, we should help provide humanitarian aid instead of wasting money on lobbying and other political propagandas.