Blogs & Opinions


How Women’s Environmental Action Across the Global South Can Create a Better Planet

Oct 20, 2023 | Andi M. Pratiwi

Climate change has different impacts on men and women, especially in the Global South.

Patriarchal culture is the cause behind this. We often do not involve women in responding to…


Armed Groups as Forest Protectors in Colombia: A Risky Dynamic

Oct 16, 2023 | Joshua Collins

On May 15, 2022, a guerilla group in Colombia called Estado Mayor Central (EMC) issued a surprising communique from the large swaths of Amazonian regions…


A Reminder from Israel and Gaza on the Importance and Limitations of Environmental Peacebuilding

Oct 13, 2023 | Peter Schwartzstein

For those of us not party to the conflict but engaged in the regional environmental peacebuilding space, all of this is a grim reminder of…


Training on Climate Security Is Crucial for the Future of Peace Operations

Oct 12, 2023 | Farah Hegazi

Demand from peace operations for training on climate-related security risks has grown steadily and quickly over the past few years. Missions are experiencing first-hand the…


New Journal | Q&A with Environment and Security’s Editorial Team

Oct 3, 2023 | Wilson Center

Environment and Security is a new journal published by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and SAGE Publishing. The journal represents the evolution of a field of…


Mary Ellen Iskenderian: Why gender equality is the most urgent climate action of all

Oct 2, 2023 | Mary Ellen Iskenderian

As Ajay Banga settles into his new role as World Bank president, all eyes are on his efforts to adapt the bank’s mission to address…


AIIB must ensure its projects address the interaction of climate change and gender

Sep 29, 2023 | Randy Lee, Ma on Shan

Given that the annual meeting of the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) convened this week, it is timely to review its gender and climate track record.…


Mona's Journey Through Climate Change and Gender Equality in Jordan

Sep 28, 2023 | United Nations Covenant to Combat Desertification

I am Mona, a Jordanian residing in the Shouneh region of southern Jordan, near the Dead Sea. I am a young climate advocate specializing in…


This Summer Previewed the Security Threats of Climate Change: The US Needs to Do More

Sep 28, 2023 | Elsa Barron, Tom Ellison, Brigitte Hugh, Alexandra Naegele, and Christopher Schwalm

Extreme weather events during this past summer — the hottest ever recorded — have highlighted the immediate danger of climate change to not only individuals,…


Disasters in Armed Conflict Zones: Silver Linings or Total Devastation?

Sep 26, 2023 | Tobias Ide

When catastrophic floods struck civil war-ridden Libya in the late summer of 2023, the catastrophe caused over 10,000 deaths and wreaked immense destruction throughout the…


A New Agenda for Peace and the Climate Emergency

Sep 25, 2023 | Cedric de Coning, Gracsious Maviza, and Kheira Tarif

Perhaps more than any other world leader, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has consistently integrated climate change into his assessments and response strategies. His…


G20 Called for 'Gender-Inclusive Climate Action'. Is it Another Empty Rhetoric in India's Context?

Sep 23, 2023 | Divya Pradeep and K.C. Adaina

A recent report by UN Women paints a worrisome global picture of the progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertaining to gender equality. Among several concerns raised,…


Afghanistan: The Benefits of Afghanistan’s Mineral Riches May Not Be So Forthcoming

Sep 23, 2023 | Nadia Ahmad and Luke Danielson

In late August, the Taliban interim government signed several contracts worth $6.5bn with foreign and national investors to develop some of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth. As…


Cities Are on the Frontline of Climate Change

Sep 20, 2023 | United Nations

Due to their dense concentrations of people and infrastructure, cities are on the frontline and highly susceptible to escalating damages from climate change. While cities…


Commentary: Who Cares about the Environment in War?

Sep 20, 2023 | Conflict and Environment Observatory

CEOBS and the PAX Environment, Peace, and Security Project jointly received 2023’s Al-Moumin Award from the Environmental Peacebuilding Association for their “ongoing leadership in monitoring,…


Depleting Water Resources and Growing Risks of Water Wars

Sep 18, 2023 | Ahmad Ibrahim

Climate change, often regarded as byproduct of modern industrial society, has gradually transformed into a challenge with global ramification. The most concerning factor regarding climate…


Shifting the Climate Security Narrative: How the Department of Defense Can Lead

Sep 18, 2023 | Cara Condit

In 2021, US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III referred to climate change as an “existential threat”—a term traditionally reserved for nuclear weapons. Yet two…


Shore up: Is climate crisis gender-neutral?

Sep 16, 2023 | Deccan Herald and Mallavica P Pillay

Bharathi, a 61-year-old woman, sustains herself by selling fish. She commences her day by waking up early, preparing food for her ill daughter, and diligently…


Women's livelihoods in vulnerable coastlines

Sep 15, 2023

A social and environmental anthropologist, Dr. Megnaa Mehtta, is interested in exploring the values, mythologies and ideas of well-being in global conservation and political ecology.…


Carbon Colonialism Has No Place in Liberia’s Forests

Sep 15, 2023 | Silas Kpanan’Ayoung Siakor

The fate of Liberia and its forests are entwined. Yet a new climate change deal, set to be announced at the UN climate change talks…


Why climate financing in Africa should focus on women

Sep 14, 2023 | The Nation

The climate crisis has taken its toll especially on women and girls in the Horn of Africa. Many smallholder farmers are women and girls who's…


Why Gender-Transformative Climate Literacy is Critical for Bhutan

Sep 13, 2023 | Thinley Choden

Globally, around 1 billion children (nearly half of the world’s children) live in countries with extremely high risk of climate change disasters, with girls being more vulnerable to…


Reflections from the Africa Climate Summit: A Missed Opportunity for Fragile States?

Sep 13, 2023 | Linda Wamune

Curtains have now drawn on the inaugural Africa Climate Summit, which sought to highlight Africa’s roadmap and role towards a sustainable energy transition through low…


How Could Ethiopia's Dam Dispute Escalate?

Sep 13, 2023 | Isaac Kaledzi

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam conflict has lasted for more than a decade without a resolution. Some experts warn that any further delays in settling…


Developing Climate-Resilient and Peaceful Societies through Evidence-Informed Training on Effective Programming

Sep 12, 2023 | Maylina St-Louis

Climate shocks and stressors, be they rapid-onset such as floods and storms, or slow-onset such as rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, are increasing in…


Why the Oil Outage in Iraqi Kurdistan Continues

Sep 10, 2023 | Shahriar Sheikhlar

In the coming weeks, Kurdistan's oil and gas sector faces a pivotal moment that could reshape the region's geopolitical landscape. Since March 25, 2023, the…


United Nations on Climate Change and Gender Equity

Sep 9, 2023 | Lucy Buchholz

Selin Calik of United Nations and Clever Carbon’s Michelle Li discuss how we can encourage more women into the sustainability sectorWhat are your first thoughts…


Why the Africa Climate Summit Can’t Afford to Overlook Conflict

Sep 4, 2023 | Nazanine Moshiri

African leaders aren’t just pleading for help on climate change, they’re offering solutions too – but as they do so it’s critical to understand the…


The Unseen Battlefield: How Climate Change Fuels Global Tensions

Sep 3, 2023 | SOFREP

It’s not just about sweltering summers or dwindling polar ice. The effects of climate change are as complex and far-reaching as the issue itself. One…


Afghanistan’s Quest for Water Worries Central Asian Neighbors

Sep 3, 2023 | James Durso

Irrigating northern Afghanistan has been a priority for Kabul since Afghanistan’s first president, Mohammad Daud Khan, planned the canal in the 1970s. The Amu Darya,…