Background: Climate change is exacerbating social problems and creating new challenges. It limits self-sufficient societies from feeding their families and intensifies competition for limited resources. Like infectious diseases, violence is predictable, preventable, and contagious. We can apply public health methods to predict and prevent violence. Methods: Applying Abraham Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs and motivation, primary and secondary data are collected and analyzed if climate change causes deficits in physiological needs (i.e., food, water, shelter, clothing, comfort, sleep, and procreation), safety and security needs, and social needs/belonging and contribute to violent motives. Objectives: The primary objective of this paper is to explore if climate change aggravates the deficits in physiological needs (i.e., food, water, shelter, clothing, comfort, sleep, and procreation), safety and security needs, as well as social/belonging needs and instigate the motives to violence. The secondary objective is to provide a public health thinking framework, foster people's capacity to think and act at the "upstream level," and advance violence prevention. Findings: In the Horn of Africa (HA), climate change widens deficits in physiological and security needs. Those deficits enlarge necessities for social needs and intensify competition for resources. The violence resulting from climate change is contagious, predictable, preventable, and has an incubation period. Conclusions: Climate change is one of the root causes of violence in the HA. Thinking "upstream level" and envisioning prevention strategies can reduce and prevent violence.

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