CLIMATE CHANGE AS A THREAT MULTIPLIER IN ARMED CONFLICTS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS

AUTHOR – Ms. E.A. VIDHYABHARATHI, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN LAW, KMC COLLEGE OF LAW, TIRUPUR, PH.D. RESEARCH SCHOLAR, SECOND YEAR, THE TAMIL NADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY, SOEL, CHENNAI.

BEST CITATION – Ms. E.A. VIDHYABHARATHI, CLIMATE CHANGE AS A THREAT MULTIPLIER IN ARMED CONFLICTS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (8) OF 2026, PG. 728-733, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as a defining challenge to contemporary international law, fundamentally reshaping the relationship between environmental degradation and armed conflict. Increasingly conceptualized as a “threat multiplier,” it does not directly cause conflict but intensifies existing structural vulnerabilities such as resource scarcity, socio-economic inequality, weak governance, and political instability. This paper critically examines the climate–conflict nexus through a legal and interdisciplinary lens, exploring the pathways through which climate change contributes to violence, including displacement, food insecurity, ecological degradation, and state fragility.

The study evaluates the adequacy of existing international legal frameworks—particularly International Humanitarian Law, international environmental law, human rights law, and the global climate regime—in addressing these emerging challenges. It highlights significant normative and institutional gaps, including the limited protection for climate-displaced persons under the 1951 Refugee Convention, the high threshold for environmental war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the absence of binding mechanisms within the Paris Agreement to address security implications. The paper concludes by advocating for legal reforms that incorporate climate security into international law, strengthen preventive and accountability mechanisms, recognize climate-induced displacement, and promote climate justice. Such an approach is essential for addressing the complex realities of climate-induced conflicts and ensuring sustainable peace in an increasingly fragile global environment.

Keywords: Climate Change; Armed Conflict; Threat Multiplier; International Humanitarian Law; Environmental Governance; Resource Scarcity; Climate Justice.