Mainstreaming the Environment in Peace and Security

Feb 24, 2017 | Doug Weir
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Everyone recognises the importance of environmental mainstreaming. It’s a problem that is particularly acute for conflict and the environment, where the environment is rarely prioritised before, during or after conflicts. In turn this influences how we frame the issues we work on, and it also influences how we work, often content with modest progress from one project to the next. The barriers we face are systemic, which begs the question – do we need to change the system?

One of the more curious aspects of current debates on conflict and the environment is that “the environment” can simultaneously exist as both a cross-cutting issue, and as something that needs to be more effectively mainstreamed. A healthy and functioning environment is important for anyone who needs air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat or the natural resources necessary to sustain ecological and economic systems.