the contextual meaning of tensions?

Question

"Global warming will bring hurricanes far more severe than Katrina and will cause natural climate-control mechanisms to go wrong. Rising temperatures will lower crop yields in many of the world’s poorest countries. The immense tensions brought about by such catastrophes will occur in a time of extremism, religious belligerence and suicidal terrorism."

Question is about the phrase "immense tensions". I would like to know the word "tensions" refers to people's emotional or nervous state or some conditions in which there are tensions.

1. Personal subject reference, as in "her tension is building up" or 2. an objective condition as in "the event created a lot of tensions". Thanks a lot in advance.

Thank you both. That is my problem, I find it hard to totally separate subject from the word. It's always there.

Answer 1

I think the word "tensions" always has to do with the personal subject reference, even in your second example. The only times when the word is not used in that sense, it would be obviously physical phenomenon, like tensions on a physical object such as a guitar string when tuning it.

Answer 2

The immense tension in refers to the the catastrophes of Global Warming.

Tensions as the 2nd option, I would think.

Answer 3

Your answer is contained in the same sentence as the phrase you're questioning about. Leave out the cause ("brought about by such catastrophes") and you are left with a sentence full of human emotions.....The immense tensions (human emotion/behavior) will occur in a time of extremism (human emotion/behavior), religious beligerence (human emotion/behavior), and suicidal terrorism (human emotion/behavior). It is a personal subject reference, encompassing the entire population of the world.

Answer 4

Tension relates to the stress caused by opposing forces...
whether physical, emotional, economic, social, or environmental.

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