Broadening the Climate–Conflict Nexus Through Social Sustainability

Climate change is often cited as a driver of violent conflict, yet its broader social impacts remain less understood. This paper reviews existing evidence and explores links between climate change, conflict and social sustainability—focusing on inclusion, resilience, cohesion and legitimacy. Using recent data, it examines associations between climate events, conflict and social sustainability without inferring causation. The findings suggest relationships across periods, samples and specifications: Conflict is associated with more severe climate impacts and weaker social outcomes, while the relationship between climate vulnerability and conflict is attenuated in places with stronger social sustainability. The sensitivity of these results warrants further attention. The paper concludes by outlining priorities for future research to better understand the complex social dimensions of climate change in conflict‐affected contexts.