
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Thesis Defended
Spring 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Type of Thesis
Departmental Honors
Department
International Affairs
First Advisor
Steven Vanderheiden
Second Advisor
David Zierler
Third Advisor
Lucy Chester
Abstract
The issue of climate change in society and within the government has not received the necessary attention to drive forward with the appropriate policies that combat climate change and its impacts. This thesis examines the intersection of climate science and violent uprisings via a case study of Egypt. I frame the issue through a security lens by connecting the effects of climate change on the physical land of Egypt to the political and social problems brought to light during the Arab Spring. I argue that the causal connection between climate change and violent uprisings is made through an examination of human security and the ways in which it was threatened by climate change. In the case of Egypt, climate change is responsible for the rising sea level of the Mediterranean Sea that weakened the agricultural capacity of the land. In turn, I argue that the state of Egypt was unable to properly address demands for food, directly threatening the level of human security of the state. The paper outlines the fact that while there were a number of economic, social, and political issues already present within Egypt, climate change served as a threat multiplier pushing Egyptians over the edge.
Recommended Citation
Vasiliou, Melpomene, "Bread, Freedom, and Social Justice: The Role of Climate Change in the Egyptian Revolution" (2017). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 1463.
https://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses/1463
Included in
Defense and Security Studies Commons, Food Studies Commons, Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons