Blogs & Opinions

Report Highlights Health and Environmental Impact of Makeshift Oil Refineries in Syria

Sep 5, 2016 | Doug Weir

Many Syrian civilians have begun refining oil due to the drastic decline in production by professional oil refineries in Syria. The conditions in these makeshift…

Climate Change, Arctic Security, and Methane Risks

Sep 5, 2016 | Chad Briggs

Over the past year, the climate risks of methane (CH4) released from natural sources have attracted increasing media attention in scientific and media forums as…

This Precious Resource Leads to Most Wars and Armed Conflicts and Things Are Only Getting Worse

Sep 5, 2016 | Benedict Brook

Armed conflicts are usually seen as falling into one of very few categories; capturing territory, a political ideology attempting to dominate another or, simply, for…

RGS Annual Conference 2016

Sep 4, 2016 | Becca Farnum

The RGS Annual Conference 2016 took place this week at the Royal Geographical Society and included a session on "Environmental Peacebuilding: The Peace-Environment-Conflict Nexus (2): Nature…

In Myanmar, Nature Can Help Communities Face Climate Challenges

Sep 3, 2016 | Ryan Barlett

The impacts of climate change are becoming an ever starker reality around the world, with 2016 on pace to be the hottest year in human history -…

In Kosovo, Post-War Water Faults Show Challenge of Balancing Political with Technical

Sep 1, 2016 | Florian Krampe

Rivers have shaped the Western Balkan Peninsula’s characteristic landscape and played an important role in its history. Following the violence of the Yugoslav secession wars…

In Kosovo, Post-War Water Faults Show Challenge of Balancing Political with Technical

Sep 1, 2016 | Florian Krampe

Rivers have shaped the Western Balkan Peninsula’s characteristic landscape and played an important role in its history. Following the violence of the Yugoslav secession wars…

Liberia’s Land Law Could Protect Forests, People and the Climate

Aug 31, 2016 | Gaurav Madan

Depending on the season, the journey to Rivercess County requires either bumping along dirt paths or navigating endless stretches of mud. In the heart of…

UN Lawyers Present Revised Post-Conflict Environmental Protection Principles

Aug 31, 2016 | Doug Weir

What should parties to a conflict and international organisations do to help protect the environment and those who depend on it from the effects of…

Liberia Must Learn to Honor the Rights of Rural Residents to Manage Their Own Land

Aug 29, 2016 | Alioune Tine

Liberia, the first African country to declare itself a republic and one of three African nations to take part in the establishment and adoption of…

Displacement and Environment in Africa: What is the Relationship?

Aug 29, 2016 | UNEP

Droughts combined with population growth, a lack of sustainable land and water management, natural disasters, political conflicts and tensions and other factors have resulted in…

After Conflict, Peacebuilding and Recovery Efforts Too Often Miss the Environment

Aug 29, 2016 | Tim Kovach and Ken Conca

In June 2010, The New York Times published a front page story trumpeting a Pentagon announcement of roughly $1 trillion worth of mineral resources in Afghanistan. Officials said…

How Lapis Lazuli Turned One Afghan Mining District to the Taliban

Aug 25, 2016 | Adrienne Bober

In the mountains of northern Afghanistan, between Pakistan and China, a region that has historically rejected the Taliban has become the group’s second-largest source of revenue.…

Little Talked About, This Issue Can Choke Colombia’s Peace Deal Down The Line

Aug 25, 2016 | José E. Mosquera

Decades of civil conflict and the formation of the communist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) could be attributed in part to the struggle for land in…

Calming the Waters: Why We Need to Better Integrate Climate and Water Policy

Aug 23, 2016 | Sabine Blumstein

The Nile River is shared by 11 countries, for which it is vital for food and energy production, freshwater, and as a means of transportation.…

Hope for Resolving the Water Conflict in the Middle East

Aug 22, 2016 | Marwa Osman

The severity of the water issue in the Middle East is a key strategic issue in understanding future security decisions within the region. Nations in…

Rivers of Conflict Between India and Pakistan

Aug 19, 2016 | Brahma Chellaney

Just as the Philippines hauled China before an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague over Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea, Pakistan recently…

Every Humanitarian is an Environmentalist

Aug 19, 2016 | Erik Solheim

More than 130 million people worldwide need humanitarian assistance to survive. Some are caught in conflict. Some are caught in disasters beyond human control. Others…

From Machetes to Maps: How a ‘Red Line’ Eased Conflict in Bolivia’s Amazon

Aug 19, 2016 | Candido Pastor

Over the past 30 years, Bolivia has tried to protect its valuable forests from agricultural clear-cutting by establishing a protected area system that covers more than 16…

Peace Paves the Way for Environmental Gains in Colombia

Aug 18, 2016 | Arnaud Peral

The armed conflict has left an immense ecological footprint and has limited the extent to which Colombia can achieve development through biodiversity.

There are many examples…

Guatemala’s Indigenous Peoples Endure Poverty and Contested Land Rights

Aug 17, 2016 | World Politics Review

Individuals who self-identify as indigenous—about half the population—are recognized as full citizens, even though they may face many types of de facto discrimination. As collective…

Beware the Illusion of China-ASEAN South China Sea Breakthroughs

Aug 17, 2016 | Prashanth Parameswaran

According to China Daily, the 13th senior officials’ meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea ended…

Why Liberia Could Plunge Back into Conflict if a Historic Land Rights Bill isn't Passed

Aug 17, 2016 | Elsa Buchanan

Liberia could plunge back into civil war if the nation does not pass a historic bill protecting community land rights in a region where weak…

Africa: War On Climate Terror - Fleeing Disasters, Escaping Drought, Migrating

Aug 11, 2016 | Baher Kamal

While widespread violence and climate catastrophes are common to all continents and countries, there is an overwhelming consensus among experts, scientific community and international specialised…

A Resourceful Solution to Rapacious Mining Projects

Aug 11, 2016 | Frontier Myanmar

Just weeks before last year’s election, Global Witness dropped a bombshell. In a report on the jade industry, Jade: Myanmar’s ‘Big State Secret’, it alleged that…

Vietnam’s Rocket Launchers May Prompt China to Declare Air Defense Zone

Aug 11, 2016 | Harry Kazianis

It was inevitable, but nations in the South China Sea that have overlapping claims with the People’s Republic of China are now beginning to push…

On the Humanitarian and Environmental Frontline in Iraq

Aug 10, 2016 | Rene Nijenhuis

As the country battles the so-called Islamic State (IS) on multiple fronts, Iraq is also trying to prevent what could be one of the worst…

Deep Trouble: Emerging Resource Competition in the Deep Sea

Aug 10, 2016 | Scott Moore & Dale Squires

It might seem strange to say that the deep sea, the vast expanse of the world’s oceans beyond the continental shelf, is at risk of…

The Middle East: From Oil Wars to Water Wars?

Aug 10, 2016 | Mike Safadi

In 1988, Egyptian Foreign Minister Boutros Boutros-Ghali said that the next war in the Middle East would be fought over water, not politics. What is…

Liberia is at a Crossroads: Recognising Land Rights Can Safeguard Against Violence

Aug 10, 2016 | Jennifer Duncan and Jaron Vogelsang

The government of Liberia has an unprecedented opportunity to pass progressive land reform legislation that could positively impact millions of people, but the window of…