Publication

This paper analyzes the proposition that environmental scarcity causes violent conflict. The authors test the effects of resource scarcity by examining two different indicators of environmental sustainability: the ecological footprint and the World Bank’s Genuine Savings Index. They find that countries with a heavier footprint have a substantially greater chance of peace. However, it is suggested that such measures are problematic when it comes to demonstrating a link between environmental scarcity and the risk of civil war.