Blogs & Opinions
Don't Turn to the Military to Solve the Climate-Change Crisis
Jun 5, 2018
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Nick Buxton
The Australian Senate’s declaration last month that climate change is a “current and existential national security risk” was clearly intended to inject much-needed urgency into the country’s…
Environmental Peacebuilding: An Introduction
Jun 3, 2018
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Vositha's Blog
Throughout history, natural resources have been the cause of many conflicts. While scarcity of resources such as water has been the cause of conflict among…
The Water Wars within: Preventing Subnational Water Conflicts
May 30, 2018
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Scott Moore
In 1995, World Bank official Ismail Serageldin warned that “the wars of the next century will be fought over water—unless we change our approach to…
The Imperative for Peace and Security Council’s Action against Conflict-Induced Food Insecurity
May 30, 2018
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Solomon Dersso
In the preamble to the Protocol of the Constitutive Act Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union…
Liberia: A Land of Wealth without Manager
May 30, 2018
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B.J. Goodlin
Liberia is a land filled with natural resources of wealth that hasn’t been managed shrewdly or should I put it to you that the lack…
Environmental Peacebuilding: What Is It Good for?
May 29, 2018
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Nina Engwicht
Policy interventions seeking to break the link between natural resource abundance and violent conflict aim to tackle the quality of environmental governance both in producer…
A Watershed Moment for Iraqi Kurdistan: Subnational Hydropolitics and Regional Stability
May 24, 2018
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Marcus King
Iraqi Kurdistan is blessed with abundant water resources, but these resources are under increasing stress. Changing demographics, dam building in neighboring countries, and drought have…
Editorial: Air Pollution a Major Health Risk
May 23, 2018
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Afghanistan Times
Air pollution in Kabul, the capital city maybe hastening to death of hundreds of people each year that have been required an urgent step to…
In Kabul, Residents Chase Receding Groundwater
May 20, 2018
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Kayla Ritter
Years of conflict coupled with an arid landscape have left residents of Kabul, Afghanistan, facing immense water shortages.
The capital city, which lies in the Kabul…
Climate Change is a Security Threat – So Where is the UN Security Council?
May 15, 2018
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Ashley Murphy
Climate change is one of the great security challenges of the 21st century. As the world warms, conflicts over water, food or energy will become…
Why Sierra Leone’s Mining Industry Requires a Robust Environmental Protection Regime
May 13, 2018
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Sonkita Conteh
As you enter Koidu town in the Kono District of eastern Sierra Leone an impressively large hill rises to the right of the newly constructed…
Why Blockchain Can Be an Effective Tool for Fighting Environmental Crime
May 10, 2018
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Samantha Radocchia
The effects of environmental crime and illicit trade are vast and often irreversible. For illustration, look no further than the recent death of the last…
New Global Analysis Finds Water-Related Terrorism Is on the Rise
May 10, 2018
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Jennifer Veilleux and Shlomi Dinar
In 2014, after losing a number of Somalian cities it had captured to African Union and Somali troops, the terrorist group Al-Shabaab changed its tactics.…
Mining Transparency in Myanmar: Can the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Lead to a More Sustainable Democracy?
May 8, 2018
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Marjanneke Vijge
Myanmar is rich in natural resources—gas, oil, minerals, and gemstones—yet is still one of the world’s least developed countries. Extractive industries are the country’s most lucrative sector…
We Need to Stop Blaming Climate Change for Conflicts in Africa
May 4, 2018
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Ore Koren
The role of water crises in conflicts in places like Syria, Nigeria and Iran often feature in media and policy outlets. Many believe that climate change could spark future…
Why Blaming Conflicts in Africa on Climate Change is Misguided
May 4, 2018
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Mena FN
(MENAFN - The Conversation) The role of water crises in conflicts in places like Syria, Nigeria and Iran often feature in media and policy outlets.…
The Dangers Lurking Within Iraq’s Oil Law
May 4, 2018
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Nick Butler
In many ways Iraq’s oil industry is a success story. After decades of isolation, oil production has risen by more than 75 per cent since 2013…
Why We Have Launched the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)
May 4, 2018
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Doug Weir
Back in 2011, when we were first planning to launch CEOBS’ predecessor the Toxic Remnants of War Project, we had been wrestling with a number of…
DRC: The Innovations of the Amended Mining Code
Apr 27, 2018
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Jocelyn Ismaël Itoua Ongagna
The development of the mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which was anticipated through the adoption of the 2002 Mining Code to…
Abandonment of Transparency & Accountability: A Dangerous Precedent for Liberia
Apr 27, 2018
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FrontPage Africa
The recent peaceful transfer of power from one democratically-elected government to another signalled a major feat for Africa’s oldest republic, marking the first of its…
Blockchain & the Gold Standard for a Conflict-Free Supply Chain
Apr 27, 2018
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Ariella Brown
Conflict minerals making their way into the electronic supply chain presents a challenge to companies that want to act both legally and ethically. Tracing such…
Draft Report on Climate Diplomacy
Apr 26, 2018
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Arne Lietz and Jo Leinen
In 2015, reaching a universal climate agreement in Paris and adopting the Agenda 2030 - with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core -…
Sampling Bias in Climate–Conflict Research
Apr 26, 2018
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Courtland Adams, Tobias Ide, Jon Barnett, Adrien Detges
Critics have argued that the evidence of an association between climate change and conflict is flawed because the research relies on a dependent variable sampling strategy.Similarly, it has…
Understanding DRC’s New Mining Law Power Play: Will the Congolese People Benefit?
Apr 19, 2018
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Daniel Mulé
Last month, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) enacted a law to revise the country’s 2002 Mining Code. While the law improves environmental and social…
Here’s How the United States Can Help Colombia Thrive
Apr 16, 2018
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Daniel Runde
Vice President Mike Pence set off for Lima, Peru, on Friday, to stand in for President Donald Trump — who stayed home to focus on Syria —…
Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Women and Climate Change Adaptation
Apr 10, 2018
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Ellie Anderson
According to a 2015 Georgetown University report on women and climate change, “the impacts of climate change – droughts, floods, extreme weather, increased incidence of…
In Post-Conflict Regions, a Careful and Tailored Approach for Developing Sustainable Projects
Apr 9, 2018
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Luca Marini and Pilar Larreamendy
While much of Latin American is at peace, parts of Central and South America have had to cope with internal conflicts, including in the second…
Liberia's New President Must Lead on Land Rights or Risk Conflict
Apr 9, 2018
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Solange Bandiaky-Badji
Earlier this year, the outgoing President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf handed over power to George Weah in the country’s first peaceful and democratic transition…
En Regiones Posconflicto, un Enfoque Cuidadoso y a Medida Para Desarrollar Proyectos Sostenibles
Apr 9, 2018
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Luca Marini y Pilar Larreamendy
Mientras que una gran parte de América Latina se encuentra en paz, existen zonas de América Central y del Sur que han tenido que enfrentar…
Understanding the Causes of Colombia's Conflict: Land Ownership
Apr 3, 2018
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Jarrod Demir
At the very heart of violence and armed conflict in Colombia is land. This has been the case since before Colombia was a republic and…