Environment and Security in the 21st Century


Publisher: Environment & Security

Author(s): Ashok Swain, Carl Bruch, Tobias Ide, Päivi Lujala, Richard Matthew, and Erika Weinthal

Date: 2023

Topics: Assessment, Conflict Prevention, Extractive Resources, Gender, Governance, Renewable Resources

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Environment and Security positions itself as an interdisciplinary, international, peer-reviewed journal responding to a broader interest in the topic. It is committed to theoretical and methodological diversity and welcomes contributions from various disciplines such as anthropology, environmental studies, economics, geography, law, political science, and sociology. The journal also seeks to enrich interdisciplinary fields such as peace and conflict studies, development research, and gender studies. It is open to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research designs. As editors, we are also open to studies using both established and innovative methods and data sources.

The journal seeks to publish original research on the intersections between environmental and security issues and to inspire debates by decision-makers and practitioners. All research works published in the journal are expected to engage with and advance existing theoretical debates on the topic, either through novel empirical findings or theoretical elaboration. We expect theory and review articles to outline how they contribute to future research or practice on environment–security interlinkages, for instance, by inspiring new research or helping us to make sense of empirical puzzles. All contributions will be thoroughly assessed by the editors and a double-blind peer-review process.

Environment and Security is open to a wide range of topics. We understand the environment to comprise (a) natural resources used by or (potentially) useful to humans, (b) the ecosystem services sustaining these resources (e.g., nutrient and hydrological cycles), and (c) the components of the earth system into which these resources and services are embedded (e.g., climate system, biosphere). We understand security in a wide sense, encompassing international security, national security, human security, ontological security, and securitization, and a wide range of referent objects. The journal will address violent/armed conflicts as well as social conflicts, incorporating concepts of both positive and negative peace. All contributions will speak to current theoretical and/or empirical debates within the environment–security nexus.

Environment and Security also features special issues on extraordinarily timely and important topics. Special issues and special sections might be commissioned to guest editors but we are also open to proposals from anyone doing research or practice on relevant topics.