Doug Weir

Research and Policy Director
The Conflict and Environment Observatory
United Kingdom

Jun 18, 2019

Doug Weir is the Research and Policy Director at the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS). His work focuses on research and awareness-raising on the environmental dimensions of conflicts. CEOBS also utilizes the data it collects to inform policy processes intended to enhance the protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts, processes that CEOBS also monitors. Doug holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from the University of Manchester and a Master’s degree in Print Journalism from the University of Sheffield. In addition to his current position at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, he is a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of War Studies’ Marjan Centre for the Study of War and the Non-Human Sphere at King’s College London. He has also held positions as Manager of the Toxic Remnants of War Project and Coordinator of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons.

Launched in 2018, the Conflict and Environment Observatory builds on the Toxic Remnants of War Project, which focused on data collection on environmental pollution and on examining how the environmental causes and consequences of war could be made more visible – a prerequisite for policy change. With CEOBS, Doug is hoping to expand this work further. Doug has particularly focused on the role that civil society can play in policy decisions and awareness around conflict and the environment.  Doug explains, “As part of civil society, it is possible to be influential by working in effective partnerships with governments and organizations to contribute to positive change.” CEOBS publishes regular blog posts on issues related to environmental hazards, conflict, and environmental damage, as part of its mission for data sharing and public engagement. Both CEOBS and its predecessor have been supporting the International Law Commission’s work on the protection of the environment in relation to armed conflict, as well as initiatives at the UN Environment Assembly.

Together with a number of partners, CEOBS is currently discussing how different civil society actors could cooperate more effectively on research and advocacy on conflict and the environment. “Since 2009, there has been a huge growth in the number of international and UN processes around conflict and the environment,” explains Doug. “There is so much scope for think tanks, NGOs, experts and affected communities to work more closely together to ensure positive outcomes and meaningful change on the ground.” CEOBS engages in a variety of UN forums to ensure that civil society ideas on how to better protect the environment before, during, and after armed conflict are considered. With a new grant, CEOBS has been growing in size this year and has increased its technical capacity. Doug’s work fills an important gap by creating easily accessible, clearly presented data and writing in order to engage people across different parts of civil society and the policy sphere.

As for environmental peacebuilding, Doug emphasizes the importance of understanding cycles of conflict as interconnected with environmental issues. “As an environmentalist, you tend to see relationships rather than isolated events. A peacebuilding approach understood through the cycle of conflict is an important way to approach these topics. The peacebuilding framework helps us to see that there is no dividing line between environmental impacts and civilian harm. Similarly, when thinking about environment and security, we cannot just take discrete issues in isolation, be they climate, water, resources or pollution”. In particular, for Doug, the Association is a place to further explore how effective civil society partnerships can emerge through collective advocacy and research.