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Meta-events: The tale of the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the connection with climate change

Publication date: 20.12.2022

Wschodnioznawstwo (Eastern Studies), 2022, Volume 16, pp. 43 - 61

https://doi.org/10.4467/20827695WSC.22.004.16753

Authors

Majid Asadnabizadeh
Maria Curie Skłodowska University, Plac Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 5, Lublin, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7331-3268 Orcid
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Titles

Meta-events: The tale of the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the connection with climate change

Abstract

The revolution in the Arab world, the wave of attempts by individuals to establish genuine democracy that began between 2010 and 2011 in one of the most sensitive regions of the world, the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA), challenged some of the region’s entrenched autocratic political structures. The region is warming twice as fast as the global average due to the effects of climate change. Yields are expected to decline, and food production is expected to be disrupted in many areas, increasing food prices and market volatility. Limited efforts by governments to address this had increased the likelihood of political instability in previous years.

This study thus attempts to establish a real and logical connection between the Arab Spring and the effects of climate change. The Arab Spring has shown that political instability is partly triggered by people’s basic needs for materials such as food and water. Climate change could therefore be a trigger for this meta-event. This study addresses this issue using the method of event extraction. This paper argues that climate change and its impact on the lives of people in the region allow for a reasonable claim that this phenomenon is related to the Arab Spring, as it is primarily due to food and water stress.

Meta-wydarzenia: rozważania o wybuchu Arabskiej Wiosny oraz jej wpływie na zmiany klimatu

Rewolucja w świecie arabskim, fala prób ustanowienia prawdziwej demokracji przez jednostki, która rozpoczęła się w latach 2010-2011 w jednym z najbardziej wrażliwych regionów świata, na Bliskim Wschodzie i w Afryce Północnej (MENA), rzuciła wyzwanie niektórym zakorzenionym autokratycznym strukturom politycznym. Region ociepla się dwa razy szybciej niż średnia światowa, ze względu na skutki zmian klimatycznych. Oczekuje się, że plony spadną, a produkcja żywności zostanie zakłócona w wielu obszarach, zwiększając ceny żywności i niestabilność rynku. Ograniczone wysiłki podejmowane przez rządy w celu rozwiązania tego problemu zwiększyły prawdopodobieństwo niestabilności politycznej w poprzednich latach.

Niniejsze opracowanie jest zatem próbą ustalenia rzeczywistego i logicznego związku między Arabską Wiosną a skutkami zmian klimatycznych. Arabska Wiosna pokazała, że niestabilność polityczna jest częściowo spowodowana podstawowymi potrzebami ludzi na produkty, takie jak żywność i woda. Zmiany klimatyczne mogą zatem być impulsem do tego meta-wydarzenia. W niniejszym opracowaniu poruszono ten problem przy użyciu metody ekstrakcji zdarzeń. Artykuł ten udowadnia, że zmiany klimatyczne i ich wpływ na życie ludzi w regionie pozwalają na uzasadnione twierdzenie, że zjawisko to jest związane z Arabską Wiosną, ponieważ jest spowodowane przede wszystkim stresem związanym z zaspokajaniem potrzeb żywnościowych.

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Information

Information: Wschodnioznawstwo (Eastern Studies), 2022, Volume 16, pp. 43 - 61

Article type: Original article

Titles:

Polish:

Meta-events: The tale of the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the connection with climate change

English:

Meta-events: The tale of the outbreak of the Arab Spring and the connection with climate change

Authors

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7331-3268

Majid Asadnabizadeh
Maria Curie Skłodowska University, Plac Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 5, Lublin, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7331-3268 Orcid
All publications →

Maria Curie Skłodowska University, Plac Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 5, Lublin, Poland

Published at: 20.12.2022

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY  licence icon

Percentage share of authors:

Majid Asadnabizadeh (Author) - 100%

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Publication languages:

English