Blogs & Opinions

Cooperation and Conflict in a Changing Climate

Dec 7, 2024 | Juha Uitto

If there are two issues to call the defining challenges of our time, they’d be climate change and the degradation of natural resources and the…

A Vicious Cycle: War and Famine in Sudan

Dec 3, 2024 | Arjun Vohra

The Sudan civil war has done more than devastate lives – it has dismantled the very systems that sustain them. Agriculture, once the backbone of…

Guam and Vanuatu: Different Paths from Environmental Change to Human Insecurity

Dec 2, 2024 | Anselm Vogler

Our present ecocrisis drives human insecurity. Single weather events killed hundreds in 2024, even in wealthy countries such as the United States or Spain. And…

Threat Level Rising: Climate Change, National Security and UK Political Action

Nov 29, 2024 | Tim Clack and Barry Gardiner

Climate change is already impacting global food security. Desertification, drought, and floods, alongside new vectors for pests and expanding disease zones, are throwing global agriculture…

How Climate Change Feeds Our Wars

Nov 28, 2024 | Michele Barnes and Luisa Bedoya Taborda

A twin crisis faces the people of Myanmar, but while the war could end tomorrow, climate change will still shape the futures of millions.

Climate Is Now a Security and Resilience Issue for Countries Everywhere

Nov 27, 2024 | Kaysie Brown and Travis Brubaker

As the world grapples with multiple crises, we cannot afford to overlook the most pressing and global crisis of our time – the climate crisis.…

The 2024 Montreal Climate Security Summit: Four Takeaways

Nov 25, 2024 | Claire Doyle

Hosted by NATO’s Climate Change and Security Center of Excellence (CCASCOE) and the Conference of Defense Associations in October, the summit brought together participants from…

COP 29: The Climate-Peace Nexus Was on the Agenda, but …

Nov 23, 2024 | Volker Boege

This year’s COP 29 in Baku, the capital of the oil state of Azerbaijan (fossil fuels make up 90% of the country’s exports), has been…

The Climate Finance Deal, the Military and DOGE at COP29

Nov 23, 2024 | Saleem H. Ali

The deal which was finally reached at COP29 in Baku for a $300 billion investment for climate change finance for developing countries reflects a zero-sum…

Advancing the UNSC Climate Security Agenda

Nov 21, 2024 | Louise Wiuff Moe

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) does not have a climate security resolution that formally places the matter on the council’s agenda, nor a dedicated…

Afghanistan: Caught between Climate Change and Global Indifference

Nov 21, 2024 | Andreas Stefansson

In 2024, Afghanistan experienced severe flooding that devastated vital agricultural land in the northern provinces, and hundreds of people were killed. Before this, the country…

New Mine Ban Treaty Action Plan Would Be Another Step Forward for Environmental Mainstreaming

Nov 20, 2024 | Linsey Cottrell

Since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention entered into force in 1999, review conferences have been held every five years. After 25 years, the Convention’s Fifth…

Harnessing Solar Power to Save Afghan Farming Communities

Nov 20, 2024 | Islamic Relief

As global leaders gather for COP29 to tackle the urgent climate crisis, Dahir Abdullahi, Islamic Relief’s Communication and External Relations Manager in Afghanistan, is calling…

Keeping Climate Security Human-Centric

Nov 19, 2024 | Sinéad Barry and Janani Vivekananda

Since its emergence nearly two decades ago, the concept of climate security has been an important avenue to uphold the place of human security within…

Why Africa’s Voice on Climate and Conflict Matters More Than Ever

Nov 15, 2024 | Nazanine Moshiri and Liesl Louw-Vaudran

African climate negotiators at the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan have delivered a clear and urgent message – climate diplomacy must hold steady amid escalating…

Carbon Bootprint: Why Are Military Emissions Top Secret?

Nov 15, 2024 | Joanna Gill

As leaders gather for COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan, one issue likely to escape scrutiny, despite conflicts raging in Ukraine and Gaza, is the carbon…

New Tool Offers Key Insights for Tackling Climate and Conflict Challenges

Nov 14, 2024 | Kayly Ober, Daniel Abrahams, and Luna Ruiz

When the White House released the US Framework for Climate Resilience and Security in September 2024, it was an important opportunity to highlight the significant…

New Tool Offers Key Insights for Tackling Climate and Conflict Challenges

Nov 14, 2024 | Kayly Ober, Daniel Abrahams, Luna Ruiz

When the White House released the US Framework for Climate Resilience and Security in September 2024, it was an important opportunity to highlight the significant impacts of…

Afghanistan: Geospatial Analysis Conveys Current Conditions under the Taliban

Nov 13, 2024 | Olivier Cottray

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, one of its first policies was to ban poppy cultivation. The halt in a trade…

How to Catalyse a Shift to Disaster Risk Management in Fragile and Conflict Settings

Nov 12, 2024 | Katie Peters

For those concerned with the rupturing effects of climate shocks and disasters on developmental progress across Africa, catalysing a shift to disaster risk management (DRM)…

The Story behind Climate Security and What It Means for US Foreign Policy

Nov 12, 2024 | Noah Fritzhand and Angus Soderberg

Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered the southeastern US in September and October and caused a combined estimate of $300 billion in damages. These storms were…

China’s Marine Conservation Efforts Prioritise Symbolism over Substance

Nov 12, 2024 | James Borton

China and Russia have reportedly blocked proposals for new marine protected areas (MPAs) at an international conference in Hobart, Australia, focused on preserving Antarctic marine…

What to Expect on Militarism, Conflict and Climate at COP29

Nov 11, 2024 | Ellie Kinney

World leaders, negotiators, and civil society are heading to Baku for what its Azerbaijani hosts have labelled the “COP of Peace”. Set against the backdrop…

War’s Hidden Casualties: The Environment Suffers Severe Damage in the Middle East

Nov 11, 2024 | Veronica Neifakh

The current conflict in the Middle East will leave a lasting environmental impact, prompting calls for urgent restoration and cross-border cooperation.

Environmental Impact of the War in Ukraine: How the Conflict Is Destroying Nature

Nov 10, 2024 | Jana Koegst

The war in Ukraine has devastated the country’s environment. Pollution, habitat destruction, and damage to protected areas is constantly leaving long-lasting scars. This post explores…

Transforming Conflict through Climate Action in Kenya's West Pokot County

Nov 10, 2024 | International Alert

How can restoring depleted rangelands sow the seeds of lasting peace? Masol ward, located in the lowlands of West Pokot County, is one of the…

What Causes Water Conflict?

Nov 8, 2024 | David Michel

Mexican farmers set fire to government buildings, ambushed soldiers, took politicians hostage, and seized control of La Boquilla dam to prevent water from being diverted from…

New SPARC Research on ‘Peace with Nature’ Supports the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Nov 8, 2024 | Baba Ba and Patricia Nanteza

In the heart of Senegal, the Ferlo Silvopastoral Reserve is more than just a protected area – it is a lifeline for the region’s farmers…

War and the Wounded Earth

Nov 6, 2024 | Ellen Teague

Though humanity has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often…

Climate Change: A Growing Threat to Australia's National Security

Nov 6, 2024 | Tobias Ide

Climate change poses a significant threat to Australia’s national security. Major concerns include damage to critical infrastructure, reduced capacities of the armed forces, regional political…