The challenges of the climate change in the just war theory

Abstract

The new environmental changes that have been occurring over the last decades (the raise of the temperature, the exponential growth of the populations and the lack of food resources) undeniably determine the international relations on which the theory of classical and even contemporary just war is based on.

On this present article we address the main issues that each of the just war criteria are currently dealing with on the environmental field and as an approach to future challenges that are affecting its structural bases. To that end, the main issues of the theory of a just war are studied, which will have to be reconsidered in the light of probable environmental changes on the development of peaceful conflict resolution measures, international methods of coordination, economic and political solidarity between States, the proposal and analysis of shared food resources exploitation systems, the theory of military intervention update and the adaptation of the ius post bellum to conflicts over scarce resources.

The article concludes stating the importance of environmental changes, assuming a real challenge to the current just war theory and forcing to reconsider a fundamental part of its approach.