[j-wags]

A proximal cause of the Syrian civil war is drought [1].

> Factors contributing to social disenchanment in Syria include socio-economic stress caused by the Iraqi conflict, as well as the most intense drought ever recorded in the region.[

This has led to half a million deaths, and the migration of 6 million refugees has caused political fractures in several developed nations.

The world is not set up for mass migration on the scale that will be needed if regional agricultural productivity changes unpredictably, even on the scale of decades. I could easily believe that a larger number of these events could compound into millions of famine deaths and a conflagration of military conflicts. 1+ billion deaths is well within range if global food logistics break down or a general military conflict is triggered.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_revolution

[taylodl]

Sadly, I don't think this is hyperbole.

On a more positive note, maybe we can stave off the long-term effects if we're able to develop and deploy a world-wide carbon capture technology. We are living in the Anthropocene after all!