If you would have just given up your fossil fueled vehicles and stopped buying products this could have been avoided
Climate change may be fuelling a resurgence of piracy across Africa
In the churning waters off Nigeria, armed pirates in small skiffs speed towards a cargo ship. They clamber aboard, seizing control of the vessel and its valuable cargo. This isn’t a scene from a swashbuckling film; it’s a stark reality for seafarers in many parts of the world.
Piracy poses a threat to global shipping, trade and the safety of seafarers. In 2020 alone, there were 135 maritime kidnappings, with the Gulf of Guinea off the west African coast accounting for over 95% of abductions. Pirates often subject hostages to violence, torture and even execution.
What’s more concerning is that climate change seems to be making the problem worse. In regions like east Africa, climate change is devastating the coastal fisheries that people have depended on for generations.
Climate change is causing fish stocks to decline as some species migrate out of the reach of local fishermen. And prolonged drought and extreme weather have exacerbated food insecurity and poverty on land. Some former fishermen, in collaboration with militias and unemployed youth, have turned to piracy as a means of survival.
Was it ‘climate change’ that caused the massive outbreak of piracy during the 1600’s and 1700’s? How about during the golden age of piracy, 1650-1730, or during the massive, giant outbreak of 0f around 1715-1726, which brought the majority of the big pirate names to to the forefront, made them household names? It was during the Little Ice Age. Even if a warming Earth is helping to increase the current piracy, there’s no true scientific evidence that it is mostly/solely caused by Mankind.
