Blogs & Opinions
South Asia Needs to Adopt a Gender Mainstreaming Approach in Climate Policy
May 31, 2019
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Dhanasree Jayaram
The disproportionate impacts of environmental and climate change on women are being studied and documented worldwide. However, when it comes to addressing the gender gap…
Non-State Actors and Post-Conflict Emissions Management
May 31, 2019
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Charlotte Collins
Armed conflict, in addition to its human toll, can devastate a nation’s environment and natural resources. Post-conflict instability can lead to increased carbon emissions and…
Without Curbing the Opium Trade, Afghanistan Is Unlikely to See Peace
May 31, 2019
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Saqib Fikree
While the talks between the United States and the Taliban continue, one key factor contributing to Afghanistan’s instability is not discussed — opium cultivation and drug…
Women's Land Rights: Shifting Power for Gender Equality
May 31, 2019
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Beth Roberts
Achieving gender equality requires a fundamental shift in the balance of power over resources. Globally, from urban financial centers to remote communities, from international bodies…
Is Oil Exploration More of a Curse Than Blessing?
May 26, 2019
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Abdifatah Hassan Ali
On 20th May 2019, Somalia's Lower House passed a petroleum bill ahead of government's plan to issue oil exploration license by the end of this…
Environmental Conservation in a Refugee Crisis: When Calling It a Cross-Cutting Issue Is Not Enough
May 22, 2019
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Haseeb Mb. Irfanullah
It’s hard for me to forget 21 January 2018 − the day I first entered the world’s largest refugee camp with my International Union for…
Lake Chad Crisis: Food Insecurity and Conflict are Creating a Feedback Loop of Destruction
May 22, 2019
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Phoebe Sleet
A report, recently released by Adelphi, has examined the linkages between climate change and conflict in the Lake Chad Basin. According to the report, conflict and…
Iraq: Beyond Oil and ISIS
May 22, 2019
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Austin Bodetti
As Iraq continues its lengthy recovery from a ruinous four-year showdown between the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) and an American-led coalition, Iraqi officials are…
Challenges for Female Peacekeepers Can Come from within UN Militaries
May 21, 2019
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Vanessa Newby
On 6 March 2019, Arizona Senator Martha McSally gave testimony at an armed services committee hearing that she had been raped by a senior officer while…
Of Milk and Minorities: Equity and Consumption in Vietnam
May 21, 2019
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Jody Harris
Recently, I found myself sitting on a low stool in a small, neat home in the central highlands of Vietnam, talking to three young mothers…
New UN Legal Report Addresses the Responsibility of States and Corporations for Environmental Damage in Conflict
May 21, 2019
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Stavros Pantazopoulos
Now in its sixth year, the International Law Commission’s project to enhance the legal framework protecting the environment in relation to armed conflicts is nearing…
Growing Authoritarianism, Social Inequalities Often a Prelude to Conflict
May 20, 2019
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Margot Wallström
I want to talk about peacebuilding and inclusive peace. My main point is that peace begins in the minds of people, and people, communities, societies…
Do Women Care More About Climate Change Than Men?
May 19, 2019
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Tabitha Whiting
Recently I heard environmentalist economist and author of Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth, speak (she joined us for our Rebel Book Club April meet up). She mentioned…
Science Diplomacy and Environmental Peacebuilding: Oceans Governance and Dispute Management
May 19, 2019
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Sunitha Anup, Carla Elliff, and Dhanasree Jayaram
In the third and final webinar of the three-part webinar series concerning science diplomacy and environmental peacebuilding, the focus was on oceans governance.Our planet is…
This Year's Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Says the Battle for Land Rights in Liberia Is Just Getting Underway
May 17, 2019
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Alfred Brownell
In 2016, I fled my native Liberia to avoid being arrested. My organization Green Advocates had recently filed a complaint before the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm…
Evidence from Malawi: Why Agricultural and Nutrition Eduction Programs Should Engage Both Women and Men in Households
May 14, 2019
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Catherine Ragasa and Noora-Lista Aberman
Gender norms and inequalities are an important factor in Malawi’s ongoing food security problems. They shape agricultural practices and production, knowledge acquisition, innovation, food choices—and…
Local Solutions to Strenghten Women's Voices in Land Governance
May 13, 2019
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International Institute for Environment and Development
With increasing pressure on land in sub-Saharan Africa, including from commercial agriculture and mineral and oil extraction, how can the voices of women be included…
New Water Model Points Way to Gender and Social Equality
May 13, 2019
Valeriana Choque Zambrana and her family manage a small farm in Marquina, growing beans, corn and barley to eat at home and to sell in…
Science Diplomacy and Environmental Peacebuilding in the Polar Regions: Conservation, Resource Management, Geopolitics and Diplomacy
May 13, 2019
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Carla Isobel Elliff, Rashmi Ramesh, Sunitha Anup, and Dhanasree Jayaram
The polar regions of our planet, the Arctic to the north and the Antarctic to the south, are among the world’s most environmentally vulnerable regions.…
A Hazardous Oil Tanker Has Become a Bargaining Chip in the Yemen Conflict
May 10, 2019
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Doug Weir
In May 2018, CEOBS reported on the environmental threat posed by an ageing oil tanker moored off the Red Sea coast of Yemen. A year…
Indigenous Women Land Defenders of the Americas: Protecting Forests, Climate and Communities
May 9, 2019
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Osprey Orielle Lake
From April 22-26, the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, an LDF grantee, hosted an Indigenous Women's Delegation to New York City for the…
Saving the Irrawaddy by Offering Compensation
May 9, 2019
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Lahpai Seng Raw
Controversy continues over a suspended mega-dam project, backed by China, on the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State. The social and environmental consequences of the proposed…
The Case for Gender Approaches to Urban Resilience-Experience from Coyuca
May 7, 2019
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Hector Becerril, Anna de la Parra, Rocio López Velasco, and Maria Jose Pacha. Translated and edited in english by Mairi
Coyuca de Benitez on Mexico’s Pacific coast has suffered repeated tropical storms and tidal surges in the past decade. The city, sited on the edge…
The Complicated Gender Politics of Going Zero Waste
May 5, 2019
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Alden Wicker
Look at #zerowaste and #zerowasteliving on Instagram and you’ll see mason jars filled with chocolate smoothies and rows of rose-gold straws. You’ll see perfectly organized…
The Nexus Between Gender Equality and Climate Change
May 3, 2019
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Edwin Mumbere
Over the past four years, we have had the highest temperatures in human history, almost 1°C higher than at the beginning of the industrial revolution.…
Sierra Leone's Diamond Industry Must Be Reformed
May 3, 2019
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Julian Lahai Samboma
Diamond smuggling has to be curbed and official corruption weeded out if the citizens of Sierra Leone are to benefit from their country’s natural resources,…
Women Land Defenders Face "Extreme Criminalisation," Added Risks
May 2, 2019
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Anna-Cat Brigida
Since her teen years, Maria Magdalena Cuc Choc, now 39, has defended the natural resources of El Estor, a predominantly Mayan Q'eqchi' community on the…
Resilience Strategy Tackles Climate Change, Governance, Gender Inequality in Coastal Mexico
May 2, 2019
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Hector Becerril, Anna de la Parra, Rocio López Velasco, and Maria Jose Pacha. Translated and edited in english by Mairi
An innovative action research project in Mexico has created a gender-sensitive, local climate change strategy, which recognises how women and men are affected differently by…
Is Empowering Women in Agricultural Development Projects Worth the Investment? Yes, When Done Right
May 2, 2019
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Agnes Quisumbing, Joao Montalvao, and Markus Goldstein
A recent article in Inside Philanthropy has a provocative title: “Top Funders and NGOs Think Empowering Women Farmers Can Reduce Hunger. Are They Right?” The…
Our Relationship with Water Isn't Gender Neutral. Here's Why that Matters
May 1, 2019
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Dalia Saad
When thinking about water management, gender is probably the last thing on many people’s minds. But in fact, the whole process of water management –…