‘The Security of Somalia, the existence of the Somali people is entirely dependent on what happens to the natural resources’.
Somalia is a country in the Horn of Africa exposed to high temperatures and more and more frequent droughts without rainfall. Strongly hit by climate change, Somalia is the fastest growing desert in the world.
The livelihood of Somali people is directly tied to land and water. However, the environment no longer provides, pushing Somalis to migrate and seek new opportunities for survival. To avoid starvation, an increasing amount of unemployed youth turns to radicalisation, fuelling the conflict-environment nexus.
To tell the stories of Somali people struggling to cope with a changing environment, photographer and filmmaker Nichole Sobecki released photos and a documentary. She aimed at highlighting the relationship between climate change and conflict by giving voice to Somalis affected by a changing environment.
See her work here.
Photocredit: VII/Nicole Sobecki.