News


Colombia: In Landslide-Prone Colombia, Forests Can Serve as an Inexpensive Shield

Apr 13, 2022 | Gianluca Cerullo, Mongabay

Colombia’s undulating, rain-soaked topography makes it a landslide hotspot. Each year, hundreds of landslides wrack the nation; some 30,730 hit between 1900 and 2018. Not…


Ukraine: ‘They Were Hooligans’: Chernobyl Locals Reeling after Russian Invasion

Apr 13, 2022 | Luke Harding, Guardian

Russian forces trundled into the Chernobyl exclusion zone on 24 February in the early hours of the invasion. According to Davidenko, they crossed over the…


Battles over UN Rulebook on War and Nature Show Might Still Trumps Right

Apr 12, 2022 | Tracy Keeling

War is always an environmental catastrophe, and one we can ill afford in our age of climate and ecological crises. In light of this, the UN’s International Law Commission (ILC) is…


Colombia: A Seed Bank in Colombia Is Helping to Climate-Proof Food Systems

Apr 12, 2022 | Clarisa Diaz, Quartz

As extreme weather and drought affect agriculture all over the world, securing both food systems and farmers’ livelihoods is becoming increasingly vital. The Future Seeds…


Somalia: UN Women Somalia, in Partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development and Ministries of Women Launch Two Research Studies

Apr 12, 2022

UN Women Somalia, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Women and Human Rights Development (MoWHRD) and the Ministries of Women, Jubaland and the South West State, launched two research studies focusing on gender, climate and conflict, and market assessments of micro-enterprise opportunities at…


What Next for Climate Security? Implications From IPCC Working Group II 6th Assessment Report

Apr 11, 2022 | Elisabeth Gilmore, Halvard Buhaug, and Helen Adams

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6) from Working Group II (WG2): Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability presents the stark implications of climate change. Some…


Do Mention the War: Why Conservation NGOs Must Speak Out on Biodiversity and Conflicts

Apr 11, 2022 | Henrike Schulte to Bühne

After the Aichi targets, which aimed to slow global biodiversity loss by 2020, were missed, conservation organisations turned their attention to the post-2020 biodiversity framework, which is…


10 Ways War Harms Wildlife

Apr 11, 2022 | John R. Platt

As war and conflicts rage on in Ukraine, Yemen, South Sudan, Libya and other places around the globe, it’s important to look at the long-term…


What Next for Climate Security? Implications From IPCC Working Group II 6th Assessment Report

Apr 11, 2022 | Elisabeth Gilmore, Halvard Buhaug, and Helen Adams

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6) from Working Group II (WG2): Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability presents the stark implications of climate change.…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Ministry to Oversee Kurdistan Oil and Gas Field Management, Says SOMO

Apr 11, 2022 | Reuters

Iraq's oil ministry has taken all necessary measures required to implement a federal court's ruling that gives it the authority to manage oil and gas…


Afghanistan: Iron, Lead Mines on Bidding, Salt to Be Extracted by Afghan Companies

Apr 10, 2022 | Xinhua

The Taliban-run caretaker cabinet has tasked the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to bid on the exploration and extraction of iron and lead mines, the…


Iraq: Iraq's Farmers Pushed off Land as Drought and Heat Cripple Crops

Apr 10, 2022 | Tessa Fox, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to extreme temperatures and water shortages, according to the U.N. Environment Programme. As harsher drought…


Afghanistan: Beekeeping -- Livelihood to Replace Opium Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan

Apr 9, 2022 | Xinhua

The beekeeping and honey production industry in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar has been expanding after long years of insecurity and heavy fighting.


Weaponising Water — Ukraine's Dams Are Targets in Putin's War

Apr 8, 2022 | Nicholas Hildyard and Josh Klemm

In the early hours of 26 February 2022, Ukrainian air defences shot down a Russian missile reportedly heading for the Kyiv dam on the Dnieper…


Climate Change: An Interview with CS2P Co-Founder Sofia Kabbej on “Questions of Climate Security & Peace”

Apr 8, 2022 | Elsa Barron, Center for Climate and Security

The Climate Security & Peace Project (CS2P) is a team of “young researchers, professionals and students from diverse fields and backgrounds,” and aims to build…


The Climate Solutions That Play Double-Duty

Apr 7, 2022 | Yusuf Jameel and Aiyana Bodi

Finance for climate action is growing—however, much of this money is being invested in wealthier nations, while the regions where funds are needed most are often…


Three Ways to Build Back Greener in Community Health

Apr 7, 2022 | Shirley Ko

Yet another IPCC report published this week reminds us that we are at a critical crossroads to slow the rate of global warming. As COVID-19 gradually shifts…


Myanmar: Countries That Sanctioned Myanmar’s Junta Are Still Buying Their Timber: Report

Apr 7, 2022 | Carolyn Cowan, Mongabay

Myanmar’s military-led regime exported more than $190 million worth of timber in 2021, including to countries with active sanctions on the country’s state-controlled timber monopoly,…


Ukraine: OSCE Secretary General Calls for Vigilance as Fighting Increases Long-Term Environmental Risks in Ukraine

Apr 7, 2022 | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid has warned of the serious environmental damages caused by continued fighting in Ukraine, and their long-term effects across the…


Afghanistan: A Third of Money from Precious Stone Mining Goes to State

Apr 7, 2022 | Qazafi Mal, Pajhwok Afghan News

Residents involved in the excavation of precious stones in eastern Kunar province pay the state one-third of the revenue, an official said.


Afghanistan: Crops Not Watered, Fruit Rotting: Kandahar’s Agriculture Hit by War, Drought and Closed Customs Gates

Apr 7, 2022 | Ali Mohammad Sabawoon, Afghan Analysts Network

Farmers across Afghanistan have been hit hard by drought and fighting in recent years. In this report, we look at how this has affected agriculture…


The Lawfare Podcast: How Russia's War in Ukraine Affects Energy and Climate Security

Apr 6, 2022 | Jen Patja Howell

In the last few weeks, much has been said about how energy issues are playing into Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. It's especially coming up…


Afghanistan: Poppy Price Doubles after Ban Announced: Farmers

Apr 6, 2022 | TOLOnews

Days after the announcement of an overall ban on the cultivation of poppy by the Islamic Emirate, the farmers in the southern provinces -- a…


Ukraine/Russia: The Environmental Toll of Russia’s War on Ukraine

Apr 6, 2022 | Amy Ryan, Environmental Magazine

Russia’s war on Ukraine is one of the worst humanitarian crises facing Europe since World War II. As Russian military forces continue their violent, murderous…


Afghanistan: Climate Change Is Making Afghanistan's Hunger Crisis Worse

Apr 6, 2022 | Eltaf Najafizada and Golnar Motevalli, Bloomberg

As the planet warms, the worst dry spell in two decades has coincided with Afghanistan's political and economic upheaval. Climate change is expected to have…


Afghanistan: 100s Killed, Injured by Landmines in Past Year: Officials

Apr 6, 2022 | TOLOnews

Statistics from the Afghan Directorate for Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) show that "120 civilians are killed and injured each month" as a result of landmine…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Three Missiles Fall Near Refinery in Iraq's Erbil, No Casualties - State Media

Apr 6, 2022 | Reuters

Three missiles fell near an oil refinery in Iraq's northern city of Erbil on Wednesday without causing any casualties or damage, Kurdistan anti-terrorism authorities said…


Afghanistan: Landmines Continue to Pose Threat to Afghans' Lives: Official

Apr 6, 2022 | Xinhua

Landmines have continued to kill or maim more than 120 people every month in Afghanistan, one of the most landmine contaminated countries, authorities said on…


Switzerland: Thematic Advisor “Climate Change, Environment and Resilience”

Apr 5, 2022 | HEKS/EPER, Swiss Church Aid

HEKS/EPER, Swiss Church Aid, supports projects designed to combat hunger, poverty and injustice in over 30 countries on four continents. HEKS/EPER also provides worldwide humanitarian…


Somalia: Short Term Consultancy, Security Risk Management

Apr 5, 2022 | World Bank

The World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF)1, specifically Environmental and Social Standards 1 and 4 (ESS1 and ESS4), requires Borrowers2 to assess and manage…