WHAT has happened in Charlottesville showed that temperatures and tempers are flaring in this long hot summer. Is the Arab Spring spreading worldwide due to climate warming?
The Arab Spring broke out in 2011 with a wave of demonstrations and protests in Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, and Morocco. This was hailed as the outbreak of democracy against authoritarian regimes, but what went unnoticed were the underlying causes of three interconnected factors – a growing youth unemployment bulge from rapid population growth, the inability of existing governance structures to deal with growing social stresses and the catalyst for social breakdown – climate change.