Navigating a Just and Peaceful Transition: Environment of Peace (Part 3)


Publisher: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Author(s): Anniek Barnhoorn, Noah Bell, Emilie Broek, Andrea Gadnert, Elise Remling, Jürg A. Staudenmann, Geoffrey Dabelko, Alexis Eberlein, and Daniel Bell-Moran

Date: 2022

Topics: Assessment, Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Extractive Resources, Governance, Land, Livelihoods, Peace and Security Operations, Public Health, Renewable Resources

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SIPRI’s Environment of Peace initiative focuses on managing the risks that are created by two interwoven crises: the darkening security horizon and the immense pressures being placed on the natural world and the systems that support life on earth.

This part—Navigating a Just and Peaceful Transition (part 3)—focuses on needed transitions towards sustainability and climate resilience, with special attention given to areas such as land use, energy and climate response. Geoffrey D. Dabelko, Professor at Ohio University, and his colleagues argue these transitions must happen quickly and will inevitably meet opposition. Policymakers must prioritize both just and peaceful approaches to achieve sustained success. The authors analyse evidence from the major climate mitigation, adaptation and conservation approaches to illustrate the downsides of ill-considered interventions, while highlighting the opportunities and best practices. The green technology transition promises to remain mineral-intensive, creating familiar peace and justice challenges at a larger scale. Part 3 explores the potential for climate adaptation to help build and sustain peace, while documenting the main pitfalls of maladaptation. Finally, it looks at the need to manage the risks of transition in petrostates, as countries highly dependent on income from fossil fuels move away from this carbon-intensive energy source.