With Hurricane Irene slamming into North Carolina and bearing down on New York harbor, this seems quite timely. Here is an article for anyone who may forget how fundamentally the sea effects us all.  A new study suggests that “El Nino,” the periodic warming of a large patch of the Pacific, doubles the risk of civil wars in 90 tropical countries.

El Nino doubles risk of civil wars: Study

Historians and climate specialists have noted signs that changes in climate sent past societies into conflict and decline, but this is the first study to quantify the link between El Nino’s heat, the droughts that follow, and upheaval in countries that bear the brunt of it.  

Between 1950 and 2004, one out of every five civil conflicts were influenced by El Nino, scientists reported in the journal Nature.  

El Nino starts as a large patch of warm water in the tropical Pacific and influences global climate and weather across much of Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Americas.  

This pattern can cause large crop losses and increased risk of natural disasters like hurricanes and the spread of infectious diseases, study co-author Kyle Meng of Columbia University’s Earth Institute.

“These events can lead to increases in income inequality … and a labor market effect,” Meng said in a telephone briefing. “These lead to increased unemployment, which makes the opportunities to fight a little bit more attractive.”