Blogs & Opinions

The Nexus of Trade and Food Security amid Global Conflicts

Apr 4, 2024 | JD Supra

The intricate interplay between trade and food security has emerged as a vital global issue, one that is closely interwoven with the tapestry of international…

Famine Looms in Sudan as Conflict Decimates Fragile Food Systems

Apr 3, 2024 | CARE

The ongoing conflict in Sudan is rapidly pushing millions of people already facing hunger, further toward the brink of famine. Shockingly, estimates suggest that severe…

COP28 Introduced Peace and Conflict into the Climate Discussion. What Comes Next?

Apr 3, 2024 | Megan Ferrando

At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (28th Conference of the Parties, COP28) in Dubai last December, 74 countries, organizations, and multinational development banks…

Water for Peace

Mar 30, 2024 | Ranjan Kumar Padmapati

Every year, the 22nd of March is earmarked as World Water Day to lay emphasis on water-related issues. Water is becoming more and more scarce,…

Environmental Consequences of Russia’s War in Ukraine. Review. March 2024

Mar 29, 2024 | Alexej Ovchinnikov

CEOBS publishes preliminary environmental impact assessment of the first year of full-scale invasion. Ecodiya announces volunteer project to collect data on environmental damage caused by…

More Dredging, More Freight: How the War in Ukraine Threatens the Danube River Biosphere Reserve

Mar 28, 2024 | Viktoria Hubareva

The Danube Delta is Europe’s largest delta ecosystem after the Volga, and also the continent’s second-largest water purification system. The delta also serves as one of…

What Does Russia’s War in Ukraine Mean for Global Biodiversity Conservation Efforts?

Mar 27, 2024 | Margaret D. Williams

This article explores some of the environmental consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine that are being felt far beyond the battlefields. In the high latitudes…

Assessing Local Aspects of Climate Security and Environmental Peace

Mar 25, 2024 | Tobias Ide, Anselm Vogler, Jan Sändig, and Natalia Dalmer

Climate change’s potential to aggravate insecurity, particularly through violent conflict, has created a fear that is both widespread and justified. Civil and defense ministries around…

Water Weaponization in Russia and Ukraine: A Conversation with Marcus King

Mar 22, 2024 | Wilson Center

Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine just over two years ago upset the larger foreign policy conversations surrounding global stability—and Russia’s role in it. Yet the…

Evaluating Projects and Programs in Fragile, Conflict-Affected, and Violent Contexts

Mar 21, 2024 | Ella Stack, Amanda Woomer, Carl Bruch, and Shaadee Ahmadnia

Worsening climate change and natural resource degradation exacerbate existing insecurities as competition for natural resources increases, institutional fragility is amplified, and economic, social, and political…

Water for Peace: Sustainable Water Management Can Play a Pivotal Role in Building and Maintaining Peace

Mar 21, 2024 | Vikrom Mathur

The growing demand for water resources induced by population growth, industrial development and climate change is increasing the vulnerability of communities across the world. Water…

DRC Bleeds Conflict Minerals for Green Growth

Mar 19, 2024 | Alexandria Shaner

As violent militias rampage across the country, activists in the DRC are urgently calling for a green transition that puts justice first, not new revenue…

Women in Leadership Are Needed to Fight Climate Change - The Excerpt

Mar 17, 2024 | Dana Taylor and Mary Robinson

March is Women’s History Month, a celebration of women’s contribution to history, culture and society. Former Irish President Mary Robinson, current Chair of The Elders,…

The Red Sea Crisis, Food Insecurity and Conflict

Mar 14, 2024 | Saba Sinai

The Yemeni Houthi rebels’ continued attacks on shipping in the Red Sea serve as a reminder that global supply chains remain highly vulnerable to disruption.…

Gender Responsiveness Can Make Climate-Smart Agriculture Even Smarter!

Mar 12, 2024 | IRRI and CGIAR

The impact of climate change on agriculture is undeniable, and it poses a significant threat to global food security. While climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is gaining…

Climate Change the Elephant in the Room at Munich Security Conference

Mar 12, 2024 | Vanina Laurent–Ledru and Elhadj As Sy

Climate and health must be at the center of discussions about global security to avoid these crises destabilizing governments and impacting our future prosperity. Yet…

Addressing the Intersection of Climate and Gender Through Transformative Action

Mar 11, 2024 | Eva Bialobrzeski

Gender-responsive climate action is critical in addressing the dual crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss, recognizing that climate change often exacerbates pre-existing gender inequalities.…

Understanding the Gender-Climate Nexus

Mar 11, 2024 | Understanding the gender-climate nexus

The ongoing global discourse regarding climate change emphasises the need to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and the necessity of involving…

Gender Equality and Climate Adaptation: Closing the Data Gap

Mar 11, 2024 | Fionna Smyth, Duncan Knox, and Mariam Ibrahim

This month, the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW), will address a critical issue: strengthening…

How Amplifying Women's Voices Could Boost Humanitarian and Development Aid Efforts

Mar 11, 2024 | Kalkidan L. Yihun

The percentage of people in need across the world has doubled since 2020, with one out of every 23 people now needing some form of humanitarian relief.…

Hunger as a Weapon of War

Mar 8, 2024 | René Wildangel

A dramatic famine is threatening the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s blockade. Germany must do all it can to end the misery.

Under the Weather – The National Security Risks from Climate Change Could Go Well Beyond What the US Government Thinks

Mar 7, 2024 | Bryan Frederick and Caitlin McCulloch

The ongoing United Nations Environmental Assembly meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, has revealed sharp splits among countries over the risks of geoengineering projects. Energy from renewable sources is…

Gaza Conflict: Rising Death Toll from Hunger a Stark Reminder of Starvation as a Weapon of War

Mar 6, 2024 | Leïla Choukroune

The deaths of more than 100 Palestinians who had been waiting for an aid convoy on February 29 were a grim reminder of the catastrophe…

Conflict Minerals: How to Clean up the Clean Energy Transition: Preventing Violence over New ‘Conflict Minerals’

Mar 6, 2024 | Tarek Ghani, Juan S. Lozano, Anouk Rigterink, and Jacob Shapiro

Advocates and researchers have drawn attention to the harms from ‘conflict minerals’ (tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold) for more than two decades. As the European…

Conflict Pollution: Lessons from Iraq

Mar 5, 2024 | A.S. Harinath and Ahmed Ali

When conflicts end, the tragic impact of lives lost, damages, and the countless needs of people left in its wake are overwhelmingly visible. There are…

New Security Broadcast | Sarah Ladislaw on US Climate Security and “Mutually Assured Resilience”

Mar 5, 2024 | Wilson Center

In this episode of New Security Broadcast, ECSP Program Director Lauren Risi speaks with Sarah Ladislaw, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for…

War’s Silent Victim: The Environment

Mar 4, 2024 | Alejandro Martín Rodríguez

Efforts to address the environmental impacts of armed conflict have long been confined to academic and technical debates. New technologies can change that.

Clearing War Debris Can Help Ukraine Move Forward

Mar 4, 2024 | J.A. Atchue III, Karl Dix, and Billy Tress

When Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine on February 22, 2024, Western nations supported Ukraine with military and financial aid. But over two years,…

Damming the Blue Nile: Will Ethiopian-Egyptian Tensions Ignite?

Mar 1, 2024 | Martin Sherman

Largely ignored in western commentary, a dispute between two western-aligned governments in Africa threatens to erupt into open conflict. The dispute focuses on distribution of…

Rebuilding the Kakhovka Dam Is a Mistake, but What Should Be Done Instead?

Feb 29, 2024 | Viktoria Hubareva

On 6 June 2023 Russian troops blew up the dam and the hydroelectric infrastructure, destroying it, and the accumulated water in the reservoir was released.…