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How climate change contributed to Syria's civil war

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Climate Cast
Every Thursday, MPR meteorologist Paul Huttner joins Kerri Miller to talk about the latest research on our changing climate and the consequences we're seeing here in Minnesota and worldwide.
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A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science draws a connection between climate change and the civil war in Syria.

A devastating drought in the region from 2007 to 2010 forced a mass migration to the cities. That dramatic social change fomented a rebel movement and government backlash that has killed more than 200,000 people since 2011, according to the United Nations.

The Pentagon has listed climate change as a national security thread since 2010. Last fall it issued a plan to prepare for the effect of climate on American armed forces - including heat, sea level change and an increasing need for humanitarian assistance overseas.

On this week's Climate Cast, MPR News' Tom Crann and Meteorologist Paul Huttner talk with our guests about national security and climate change.

Dear reader,

Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?

You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!

Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.