Environmental Conflict in the Modern World

ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT
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Environmental Conflict
The modern world is characterized by technological innovation, increased production, and profit-seeking behavior. With every new generation comes the feeling that the world is getting even worse. Crucial to the modern debate is the issue of environmental degradation and how it is getting worse every year. Countries worldwide are putting in place efforts to ensure that they conserve the environment. Yet, such efforts are not well-received because of the high costs involved in practicing environmental-friendly activities. The result is a conflict between environmentalists and profit-seeking individuals. This paper explains why environmental factors are a cause of conflict in the modern world and how environmental action can be used as a source of peace.
Contemporary literature suggests that conflict arises when stakeholders have incompatible interests or irreconcilable differences (Väyrynen, 2018, p. 4). Unlike disagreement, conflict arises when one party wants to benefit at the expense of another party. Examples of conflicts include beating, threats, skirmishes, insurgency, and intrastate and interstate wars. Competition for finite environmental resources triggers conflicts.
The are several types of conflicts resulting from environmental factors. The prevailing environmental conflict is about noxious pollutants and air quality (Maser and Pollio, 2011, p. 38) This is the main type of environmental conflict worldwide. It relates to social justice issues and the right to live in a clean and healthy environment. An essential theme that emerges from this type of conflict is environmental racism and how it can be linked to poverty and vulnerability. Most conflicts relate to legal disputes and demonstrations where environmental activists and residents mobilize individuals to demand their rights (Maser and Pollio, 2011, p. 67). These activities, especially demonstrations, lead to violent conflicts between the public and local authorities. The conflicts resulting from air quality issues also tend to attract extensive media attention.
Another conflict is that relating to biodiversity. Biodiversity conflicts are conflicts about wildlife and other features of biodiversity. Biodiversity conflicts also involve conflicts about the conservation of green technologies, protected zones, fair trade, and indigenous knowledge on natural resources (Maser and Pollio, 2011, p. 71). Biodiversity conflicts can happen at the international stage where they may have serious policy and regulatory implications. The impact that land clearing for agricultural production and development has on a natural resource base is also an important consideration. Without effective environmental management and conservation policies, conflict arises (Maser and Pollio, 2011, p. 72) For instance, in Africa, environmental management and protection create situations where people become the victims of animals. In turn, the people retaliate by killing wildlife for their meat and to protect their cattle and crops from predators and disease. Part of biodiversity conflict is natural resource management (NRM) conflict. Many of the conflicts in NRM are currently on the increase. Also, they tend to be complex given the wide range of issues, multiple actors, and management strategies. Still, it is important to note that conflict over environmental resources can result in violence that transcends national boundaries.
Another kind of conflict is the coastal zone conflict. Coastal zone conflicts develop from different types of conflicts. Environmental experts find that coastal areas are unique in the type of environmental conflicts they produce. The main reason is because of the high population density, demand for development, environmental degradation, and poor conservation management in these areas (Galgano, 2019, p. 44). 
Some conflicts disproportionately affect women. According to environmental studies, women are more vulnerable socially, economically, physically, and politically (Perry, Potgieter, and Bob, 2010, p. 131). The result is that they carry a disproportionate burden of the effects of environmental conflicts. The actual costs of environmental conflicts on women are hard to measure. However, women often experience greater economic and food insecurity and are, therefore, affected by illegal practices (Perry, Potgieter, and Bob, 2010, p. 124). For instance, women in pastoral communities in Africa are vulnerable as a result of cattle raids. Also, land scarcity brought about by apartheid in South Africa led women to be abandoned, violently attacked, and dispossessed of their land.
Another significant type of conflict is land conflict. Worldwide, a significant number of people depend on land to earn their living. The issue of land conflicts relates to people’s ability to make profits. Ambiguous property rights and land scarcity contributes greatly to violent conflict and grievances (Spoor, 2005, p. 162). These conflicts escalate when there are not alternative means of livelihood and when community members are armed. Also, when land contains valuable minerals, conflicts tend to arise between locals and those who seek to control the land for its mineral resources. International markets, climate change, environmental degradation, legislation, and population growth are all key variables in areas where conflicts are a result of land. When considering land conflicts in developing countries, there are many reasons and complex issues that lead to conflict. For instance, power plays a great role in the securing of land tenure in developing countries. Also, in such countries, poverty, and inequality limit access to land. In developing countries, land also tends to be used as a tool for manipulation. For instance, in the Rwandan genocide, land was not a primary reason for the conflict. However, it was used as a tool to incite the killing of others so that their land and belongings could be unlawfully acquired (Spoor, 2005, p. 76).
Similar to land conflict is the issue of water conflict. According to recent studies, the increased demand for water today could lead to intense competition for the natural substance by 2050 (Lewicki, Gray, and Elliott, 2003, p. 256). Countries that share rivers are likely to result in military disputes over the control of water. It is also important to note that many countries are already dependent on water resources outside their national boundaries. In the future, this...