Blogs & Opinions
120 minutes: A Story of a Water Master and Transformative Irrigation in Afghanistan
Nov 13, 2016
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Bashit Ahmad
As the local mirab - “water master” and I walked along the high-elevation canal, high winds blew sand in our mouths and eyes. The elevation…
Even With a New Colombian Peace Deal, What Happens in the Countryside?
Nov 13, 2016
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Michael Albertus
Will Saturday’s new peace accord with the FARC guerrilla group fare better than the June deal? The new accord follows an Oct. 2 referendum that narrowly rejected the Colombian…
Women's Leadership: Critical to Securing the Paris Agreement; Essential to Fulfilling It
Nov 11, 2016
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Courtney Durham, Natalie Elwell, and Cynthia Elliot
The Paris Agreement on climate change wouldn’t be what it is today without action from strong women from around the world. Christiana Figueres, the UNFCCC…
A Veteran’s Day Warning: Trump’s Climate Policies Will Create More War, More Refugees
Nov 11, 2016
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Joe Romm
Donald Trump’s climate policies would create dozens of failed states south of the U.S. border and around the world. They would lead to hundreds of…
States Back Further Progress on Conflict and Environment in UN Legal Debate
Nov 9, 2016
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Doug Weir
Before this May’s UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution, the annual debates on the work of the International Law Commission (ILC), which take place in the…
Progress on Protecting the Environment from Conflict is Long-Overdue
Nov 8, 2016
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Doug Weir
As Islamic State forces had retreated, they had opened oil pipelines, and blown-up well heads. The smoke plumes from the wells were so intense they…
From Syria to Iraq: Federalize or Perish
Nov 8, 2016
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Norman Ricklefs and Hadi Fathallah
Federalism is the natural solution to the crisis gripping Syria and the Sunni regions of Iraq. Unfortunately, calls for federalism are often viewed in the…
As Demand Grows to Add Another Mineral to the List, Calls Continue to Reform Conflict Minerals Reporting Requirement. Today’s Election May Decide the Next Round for Dodd-Frank.
Nov 8, 2016
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Source Intelligence
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to receive comment letters from a variety of organizations and individuals about whether to refine conflict minerals…
Can Myanmar’s Hydropower Study Truly Be for the People?
Nov 7, 2016
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Pianporn Deetes
The deadly conflict is taking place around the construction site of the Hat Gyi hydropower dam on the Salween River. The 1360-megawatt project is slated for development…
Environment is the ‘Silent Casualty’ of Armed Conflict
Nov 6, 2016
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UN Environment Programme, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
As the world marks the international day to protect the environment during armed conflict, the scorched earth tactics being used by embattled ISIL militants in…
Water Wars: All Eyes Turn to Scarborough Shoal
Nov 4, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
Two weeks ago Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte visited Beijing, where he signed a number of memoranda of understanding promising greater economic and military cooperation. Since that meeting…
Impact of Conflict Minerals Ruling Begins to be Seen
Nov 2, 2016
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Celia Taylor
Perhaps the most important result of the long and tortured legal proceedings in Nat'l Ass'n of Mfrs. v. SEC ("NAM") is the ultimate finding that…
Invitation: Environmental Peacebuilding Lecture with Ambassador Marie Jacobsson
Oct 31, 2016
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Britta Sjöstedt
At the event, to be held on 3 November in Washington, Ambassador Marie Jacobsson will receive the prominent Al-Moumin Award for her exceptional contributions to…
Rising Water Wars between Indian States
Oct 30, 2016
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Dr. Yogesh Sharma
India has been facing friction over the sharing of river waters. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been fighting like two warring nations over sharing of…
ICC Expands Remit to Environmental Crimes: Is This What the People of Cambodia Have Been Waiting for?
Oct 28, 2016
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Hannah Gerber
Cambodia’s land reforms in 2001 have led to over 10 years of violent and coercive land grabs, damaging the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 Cambodian citizens.…
Water Wars: Sifting through the Tea Leaves in the South China Sea
Oct 28, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing last week precipitated a busy news week as commentators and government officials tried to discern how closer Philippine-Chinese cooperation would…
Liberia's Land Bill in Limbo
Oct 28, 2016
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Sumit Galhotra
A narrow window is quickly drawing shut for Liberia to enact a landmark law that would guarantee millions of its people the right to formally…
In Palm Oil, Liberia Sees Economic Boom — but Forests May Lose
Oct 28, 2016
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Sophie Bertazzo
Liberia views palm oil development as a huge opportunity for economic growth and international trade. But embracing the booming industry is not without its costs. Without proper…
EU Regulation on Conflict Minerals Has Low Potential to Trigger Dynamic Changes in Supply Chains
Oct 27, 2016
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Chiara Macchi
The first version of the EU draft Regulation on conflict minerals came as a disappointment to the many civil society actors. EU institutions were split,…
How to Make Peace with the Forest: Development and War in Colombia
Oct 26, 2016
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Hannah Meszaros Martin
On September 26, the Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP was signed with a pen made from a bullet, while the Air…
Environmental Damage as a Weapon of War? Open Source Industrial Risk Analysis of the Mosul Battle
Oct 25, 2016
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Wim Zwijnenburg
The start of the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) has seen unprecedented use of environmental pollution as a means to hinder…
Afghanistan’s Coming Water Crisis
Oct 24, 2016
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Omair Ahmad
Decades of conflict have left Afghanistan’s water infrastructure in a mess, and as refugees return to the country, the prospect of water-related conflicts rises. Hundreds of…
Commentary: A Promising Pick for UN Secretary General
Oct 24, 2016
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Ruth Greenspan Bell and Sherri Goodman
The selection of António Guterres as the new United Nations Secretary General is encouraging news for those concerned about the global challenges brought on by…
Mining and Peace
Oct 23, 2016
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Manuel Rodríguez Becerra
The recent ruling by the Constitutional Court over mining has caused a stir in government officials and private sector leaders. According to the ruling, "territorial entities…
As Ivory Becomes Bigger Issue, Environmental Peacebuilding Gaining Ground at IUCN World Congress
Oct 21, 2016
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Bethany N. Bella
A traditional conservation approach to climate change (e.g., habitat restoration, species protection) has been a primary tenet of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) agenda…
Cauvery Water Dispute “Because of Greed”
Oct 19, 2016
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Shivani Chaturvedi
India’s leading water expert and president of the South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies, S Janakarajan, wonders why Chennai, a city that receives…
There Are No Shortcuts to Establishing Trust between Extractive Industries Stakeholders
Oct 18, 2016
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Inga Petersen, David Jensen, and Ousmane Deme
The Extractive Industries are an important driver of global economic growth. They can also be a vital catalyst for national socio-economic development, especially in resource-rich…
District Court Judge Assigned in Conflict Minerals Rule Case
Oct 13, 2016
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Emily Burke, Julia Chen, and Michael Littenberg
This month, the litigation relating to the U.S. SEC’s Conflict Minerals Rule enters its fourth year. The litigation has been quiet for the better part…
How We Saved Climate-Smart Seeds from the Conflict in Syria
Oct 12, 2016
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Mahmoud Solh
Since war broke out in Syria, 11 million people have fled their homes. In 2012, the turmoil reached the doorstep of ICARDA Agricultural Research Station…
Statement to the UN General Assembly First Committee on the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflicts (PERAC)
Oct 12, 2016
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Jessica Dorsey
As armed conflict affects the environment, and vice versa, this forms a vicious cycle in which civilians all too often bear the brunt, including those…