Blogs & Opinions

The Arctic Is a Place of Unusual International Cooperation. Can That Last?

Apr 17, 2021 | Larry Luxner

For decades, Norway’s policy towards neighboring Russia has balanced “between deterrence and reassurance” and combined “firmness and predictability,” says Ine Eriksen Søreide, the country’s minister…

The US Military Is Poisoning Communities across the US with Toxic Chemicals

Apr 17, 2021 | David Bond

One of the most enduring, indestructible toxic chemicals known to man – Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), which is a PFAS “forever chemical” – is…

How the Defense Department Can Move from Abstraction to Action on Climate Change

Apr 17, 2021 | Samuel Brannen, Sarah Ladislaw, and Lachlan Carey

One week after he was sworn in as president, Joe Biden directed his secretary of defense to make climate change a central priority. The president’s executive order…

What Oil, Satellite Technology and Iraq can Tell Us about Pollution

Apr 15, 2021 | Ollie Ballinger and Wim Zwijnenburg

Few countries have oil reserves as deep as Iraq. The extractive industries bring jobs and tax revenues to a nation that has been hobbled by…

The Intertwined Futures of Climate Action, Fragility and Peacebuilding

Apr 15, 2021 | Anthony Navone

Crises are often described narrowly; clearly differentiated by the aspect of society they impact, such as the economy or national security. But the COVID pandemic…

Celebrating Earth Day With a Gender Justice Lens

Apr 15, 2021 | Tanna Clews and Rob Werner

As we look towards Earth Day 2021, we’re paying special attention to the intersection of climate and gender justice. We believe that there is no…

Herder-Farmers Conflict: Embracing the Ganduje, Abounu Solution

Apr 4, 2021 | Oludayo Tade

Fielding questions from journalists in Katsina, recently, the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said his administration has been able to stem the tide of banditry…

Egypt and Ethiopia Are Heading toward Conflict over Water. It’s Time to Intervene.

Apr 2, 2021 | Ezzedine C. Fishere

Egypt and Ethiopia are inching, slowly but surely, toward conflict. Negotiations over the construction and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile…

Renouncing Reprisals: An Opportunity for the Biden Administration

Apr 1, 2021 | Adil Ahmad Haque

The United States has taken a number of morally objectionable positions regarding the lawful conduct of armed conflict over the years. Among those positions, it…

If War Were to Doom Us All Tomorrow, the ICJ Would Still Plant a Tree

Mar 30, 2021 | Moises A. Montiel M.

The ICJ is no stranger to the growing concern about the environment. In fact, the existence (albeit brief) of an Environmental Chamber credits the importance…

4 Ways the Private Sector Can Push for Gender Equality Post-Pandemic

Mar 26, 2021 | Kathleen Sherwin and Divya Mathew

• The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women's economic participation.

• Gender equality cannot be achieved without support from the private sector.

• A new…

Crimea’s Water Crisis Is an Impossible Problem for Putin

Mar 25, 2021 | Clara Ferreira Marques

A water emergency in Crimea is absorbing billions of taxpayer rubles as Russia tries to patch up an impossible problem stemming from the peninsula’s annexation…

Editorial: Human-Wildlife Clash

Mar 25, 2021 | Himalayan Times

Nepal's conservation efforts have been considered a huge success, allowing endangered animals to thrive in the wild. This has been possible largely due to political…

Climate, Peace and Security: The Case of South Sudan

Mar 24, 2021 | Andrew E. Yaw Tchie and Kheira Tarif

South Sudan is the world's youngest nation and one of the least populated countries in Africa, but also one of the most vulnerable to climate…

Climate Security in the UN Security Council: Achieving More through Improved Knowledge and Increased Credibility

Mar 24, 2021 | Judith Nora Hardt, Michael Brzoska, and Alina Viehoff

The German government should continue its efforts on climate change and security even after its membership in the UN Security Council has come to an…

The Attack on the Italian Ambassador in Congo

Mar 24, 2021 | Daniel Ruiz

This article intends to do a critical analysis of the recent attack that cost the life to the Italian Ambassador in the Democratic Republic of…

Not A Noisy Gun: The Women Peacebuilders of Liberia

Mar 22, 2021 | Lucinda Rouse

Leymah Gbowee’s office is a hive of activity. At any one time, there are at least a dozen people within its bright, mural-clad walls. Sitting…

The Blue Economy is an Ocean of Opportunity to Advance Gender Equality

Mar 22, 2021 | Dona Bertarelli

Around the world, women are excessively affected by climate change, by market fluctuations, or shocks like the pandemic, which has put millions of jobs at…

How Animals Are Harmed by Armed Conflicts and Military Activities

Mar 22, 2021 | Janice Cox and Jackson Zee

When the impact of armed conflicts on animals is considered, this is commonly subsumed by more general consideration of the “environment”, of “nature” or of…

Going Big on Climate: Opportunities and Challenges Facing the New Administration

Mar 22, 2021 | Ratia Tekenet

With climate change, we can make no small plans—we need to go big,” said Lieutenant General Wallace Gregson (ret.), former Assistant Secretary of Defense for…

New NASA Maps Will Help Liberia Chart Course for a Sustainable Future

Mar 22, 2021 | Kiley Price

Within Liberia’s borders lies one of the last strongholds of intact forests in West Africa. But as Liberia’s economy recovers following years of civil war, experts fear that these…

Climate Change Disproportionately Affects Women – But They Can Also Provide the Solution

Mar 21, 2021 | Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Climate change affects us all – no matter where you live or what you do. But the impacts of climate change are not spread evenly…

Bridging Silos at the Climate-Gender-Conflict Nexus

Mar 20, 2021 | Jessica Smith, Lauren Olosky, and Jennifer G. Fernández

International security agendas must account for the overlapping threats of climate change and conflict, and their unequal impacts on women. Similarly, climate action must integrate…

Looking Beyond Conflict to Address Climate Change Impacts in the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Mar 19, 2021 | Evyn Papworth

Since the creation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda with the adoption of  resolution 1325 in 2000, climate change has become arguably the most pressing…

Looking Beyond Conflict to Address Climate Change Impacts in the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Mar 19, 2021 | Evyn Papworth

Since the creation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda with the adoption of  resolution 1325 in 2000, climate change has become arguably the most pressing…

What Is Climate Feminism?

Mar 18, 2021 | Nicole Greenfield

Last fall, two powerful hurricanes, Eta and Iota, slammed into Central America within two weeks of each other, causing massive flooding and landslides and affecting…

Pacific Women’s Leadership in Climate Change, Peace, and Security: Inclusively Responding to Crises

Mar 17, 2021 | Sharon Bhagwan Rolls

Engaging with women peacebuilders in the Pacific to address climate change can transform regional responses, making them more inclusive and focused on human security, Sharon…

Emergency Law Responses and Conflict-Affected States in Transition

Mar 13, 2021 | Erin Houlihan, Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher, Sean Molloy, Christine Bell, and Asanga Welikala

Some type of emergency law response to Covid-19 has been used in most states. However, conflict ‘fault lines’ can mean that the ways in which…

Forced Coca Eradication Could Undermine Colombia’s Peace

Mar 13, 2021 | Elizabeth Dickinson

If President Ivan Duque has his way, Colombia will soon resume aerial fumigation of coca plantations for the first time in over five years. It paused the…

Canada Is Long Overdue for a National Climate Security Strategy

Mar 13, 2021 | Luthfi Dhofier

The impacts of climate change on security issues such as political instability and mass migrations are well-documented. It is time for Canada to make climate…