Blogs & Opinions

Truth, War and the Hyperthreat of Climate & Environmental Change.

Jun 9, 2021 | Elizabeth G. Boulton

When I reflect on truth, I think of the Netflix sensation Resurrection: Ertugrul. It has had seismic influence in the Middle East, Pakistan, India and parts of Africa.…

Women Are Hurt More By Climate Causes & Impacts

Jun 8, 2021

New reporting highlights the disproportionate burden, caused at both ends of the climate change cycle, borne by women.

In Minnesota, where Enbridge is seeking to build…

A Conflict Prevention Agenda Should Inform Climate Change Actions in Africa

Jun 8, 2021 | David Maina

In Africa, climate change and population expansion are increasing fragilities and vulnerabilities—including contributing to conflict dynamics—for many people who directly depend on nature. To cope…

UN Must Act to Prevent Major Oil Spill Catastrophe in Yemen

Jun 8, 2021 | Greenpeace International

Greenpeace called for swift action from the United Nations (UN) to resolve the long outstanding environmental and humanitarian threat posed by the FSO Safer, ahead…

Data-Driven Environmental Decision-Making and Action in Armed Conflict

Jun 8, 2021 | Wim Zwijnenburg

A digital revolution through a myriad of earth observation data and open-source investigations is reshaping our understanding of the environmental causes and consequences of armed…

How NATO Should Prepare for Climate Change

Jun 8, 2021 | Alexander Verbeek

Two weeks before the NATO summit on June 14, a coalition of civil society organizations presented their views on climate action for the security organization.…

Protecting the Environment During Armed Conflict: IHL and Islamic Law

Jun 8, 2021 | Ahmed Al-Dawoody and Sarah Gale

Protecting the environment during armed conflict is garnering renewed attention in light of the ongoing climate and environment crisis. At its root, however, this is…

From Jerusalem to Glasgow, Peacebuilding Must Address Climate Stressors

Jun 7, 2021 | Janani Vivekananda

During the recent terrible escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine, for example, attention was – rightly – focused on the direct political causes of…

Here Is How Climate Change Poses Threat to Women’s Reproductive Health

Jun 5, 2021 | Cutacut

Two facts that should be of high priority to Pakistan right now: We are among the top 10 countries in the world that are going…

Sexual Violence Is a Hidden Impact of the Climate Crisis That’s Not Discussed Enough

Jun 4, 2021 | Nylah Burton

We know the climate crisis is already here—with environmental destruction leading to many people being displaced from their homes, as well as causing health problems and economic…

Governments: Commit to Meaningful Military Emissions Cuts at COP26

Jun 2, 2021 | Conflict and Environment Observatory

The 2015 Paris Agreement left cutting military greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the discretion of individual nations.

Militaries are major emitters and should not be excluded…

Let´s Talk About Mali: The Impacts of Climate Change on Insecurity and Gender Inequality [Audio]

May 27, 2021 | Climate Diplomacy Podcast

In this episode we speak about climate fragility risks in Mali together with Chitra Nagarajan, author of the climate fragility risk brief on Mali.

During the…

Hurting or Helping? Why We Need Gender and Food Systems Research

May 26, 2021 | Nicoline de Haan

Well-intended efforts are being made across the globe to reduce gender inequalities in agriculture, including by engaging women farmers in entrepreneurship or new jobs within…

Six Ways to Mainstream the Environment in Peace and Security

May 26, 2021 | Doug Weir

With humanity facing the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, we can no longer dismiss the environment as somehow irrelevant to peace…

Fighting without a Planet B: How IHL Protects the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict

May 25, 2021 | Vanessa Murphy and Helen Obregón Gieseken

Armed conflicts from Kuwait to Vietnam continue to remind us that the environment can be deeply scarred by war, a reality that climate risks now…

Wesley Clark Connects the Dots Linking Climate Change and National Security

May 25, 2021 | Kate Zerrenner

In March 2021, three Russian submarines broke through old ice in the Arctic. According to retired four-star general and 2004 U.S. presidential candidate Wesley Clark,…

Why the Transition to Green Economies May Fuel Demand for Conflict Minerals [Audio]

May 24, 2021 | Mark Leon Goldberg

As the world turns towards greener economies there will be a surge in demand for natural resources that enable a less carbon intensive future. This…

How Climate Action and Gender Equality Are Linked in the Pursuit of Justice

May 21, 2021 | Stephen Minas

The movements for gender equality and climate action are two of the great contemporary struggles for progress. The changes they both demand are long overdue. What is…

Want to Compete with China? Deliver on Climate Security for the Indo-Pacific

May 21, 2021 | Caroline Baxter and Erin Sikorsky

In its interim national security strategy, the Biden administration highlighted the need to “out-compete” China, and argued deterring adversaries and defending U.S. interests will require…

Iran Narrows in on Repressing Farmers’ Protests as Water Crisis Spreads

May 21, 2021 | Center for Human Rights in Iran

Protests by hard-hit farmers over Iran’s worsening water crisis are being repressed by state security forces as officials increasingly describe the protests as a “national…

Mind the Gap: Policy, Righting Wrongs and Circumventing Oil Curses in Uganda’s Albertine Region

May 20, 2021 | Dennis Jjuuko

Uganda has signed a pipeline deal with Tanzania and Total to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Albertine region to Tanzania’s Tanga port for refining, but…

It’s High Time We Listen to Indigenous Women On Climate

May 18, 2021 | Heather Mcteer Toney

For the first time in history, with the appointment of Deb Haaland as the Secretary of the Interior, the protection of natural lands in the…

Climate Change, Armed Conflict and Humanitarian Organizations: Defining Their Role, Greening Their Response

May 18, 2021 | Colin Walch

Humanitarian actors play a critical role in responding to climate-related crises, armed conflict, or a combination of both. Their response comes with an environmental cost.…

Raising Climate Ambition Should Include Environmental Peacebuilding

May 17, 2021 | Elsa Barron and Sherri Goodman

In January, the Biden Administration released the Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. It is a sweeping document that integrates climate…

Feeding Peace

May 11, 2021 | Vongai Murugani

The impact of conflict on food security is well documented. But does food security and feeding the hungry really contribute to peace, or is it…

Climate and Conflict as a Vicious Cycle: The Case of Afghanistan

May 11, 2021 | Hans-Joachim Giessmann and Charlotte Hamm

Climate change is neither a national phenomenon nor a challenge limited to individual states. Consequences of climate change can be felt more quickly or more…

This UK Campaign is Working to Close the Politics Gender Gap

May 11, 2021 | Kate Whiting

On the green benches inside London’s historic River Thames-side landmark, the Houses of Parliament, sit twice as many men as women. “At the rate we’re…

What Is behind the Escalation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border?

May 10, 2021 | Andrea Schmitz and Dumitru Minzarari

At the end of April, a conflict over water escalated into the most serious border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan since their independence from the…

Translating Urgency into Action on Water, Climate, and Security

May 7, 2021 | Ratia Tekenet

“We need to devote our full attention to the relationship between water, climate, and security, increase understanding of the issue, and take urgent action,” said…

Improving Resource Governance and Building Sustainable Peace

May 7, 2021 | Stacy D. VanDeveer

In a recently published piece in World Development, Florian Krampe, Farah Hegazi and Stacy D VanDeveer explore the potentially dramatic benefits of improved environmental and…