Title: Climate change as a risk to human security: a systematic literature review focusing on vulnerable countries of Africa - causes and adaptation strategies

Authors: Artur Saraiva; Ana Monteiro

Addresses: Department of Management and Leadership, Military Academy Research Centre, Military Academy, Avenida Conde Guimarães, 2720-113 Amadora, Portugal ' Department of Geography, University of Porto, Office B245, Via Panorâmica, s/n, 4150-564 Porto, Portugal

Abstract: The main purpose of this research is to systematically review the literature to understand how climate change influences stability and human security. The results identified from the bibliometric analysis allowed the identification of four dominant themes in the literature explaining the climate change and human security nexus: 1) food security related to agricultural systems; 2) water security associated with water scarcity and management; 3) humanitarian crises, emphasising conflict and climate migration; 4) adaptation and mitigation strategies. The results underline the ineffectiveness of current responses to climate change, suggesting the urgency of action to reduce its impact on communities most prone to the effects, particularly in fragile states in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study highlights some recommendations to policy and institutional leaders for a sustainable adaptation at the social, ecological, and economic dimensions. Additionally, this paper provides a theoretical contribution by explaining the nexus of climate change, human security, and conflict, proposing a new dimension for the concept of human security - ecological security.

Keywords: climate change; human security; food security; water security; ecological security; migrations; sustainable adaptation; Africa.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2023.130136

International Journal of Global Warming, 2023 Vol.29 No.4, pp.362 - 382

Received: 25 Apr 2022
Received in revised form: 05 Jul 2022
Accepted: 05 Jul 2022
Published online: 05 Apr 2023 *

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