Blogs & Opinions

Connecting Disarmament with the Enviromental Pillar of the SDGs

Oct 15, 2018 | Doug Weir

The UN Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament finds that “there is not yet a general understanding on the many areas where the successful achievement of disarmament…

Colombia: Deforestation and Usurping Indigenous Land Go Together

Oct 10, 2018 | Rodrigo Botero

Neither laws nor state actions have managed to curb the progressive deforestation of Colombia's Amazonian territories, which include the homes of indigenous tribes that have…

The Coming Water Security Crisis

Oct 9, 2018 | Adam Lammon

Syria, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Afghanistan, and Virginia all face a range of threats brought on by rising temperatures and seas levels. Yet, according to Geoffrey…

South Sudan: Peace via Oil – How Hydrocarbons Are Fueling Reconciliation

Oct 4, 2018 | Luris Mulla

Once again South Sudan’s warring parties, President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President Riek Machar and other opposition groups, have signed a new peace…

Is SAARC Prepared to Combat Climate Change and Its Security Risks?

Oct 1, 2018 | Florian Krampe and Ashok Swain

Though India is now pushing for BIMSTEC, geography dictates that it cannot ignore SAARC. South Asia is extremely vulnerable to a range of climate impacts,…

Trump Suspended the 'Conflict Minerals' Provision of Dodd-Frank. That's Probably Good for Congo

Sep 27, 2018 | Nik Stoop, Marijke Verpoorten, and Peter van der Windt

Most Americans think of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act as a far-reaching effort to regulate the financial services industry to prevent another global recession. But there’s…

Stress-Testing the ILC’s Draft Principles on Environmental Protection During Occupation

Sep 19, 2018 | Conflict and Environment Observatory

The International Law Commission has completed its review of the draft principles on environmental protection in situations of occupation that were proposed by its Special…

Green Conflict Minerals: Investigating Renewable Energy Supply Chains in Fragile States

Sep 17, 2018 | Clare Church

The shift to a low-carbon economy is not only underway, it is accelerating. Last year, Costa Rica generated more than 99 percent of its electricity…

Is SAARC Prepared to Combat Climate Change and Its Security Risks?

Sep 6, 2018 | Florian Krampe and Ashok Swain

South Asia is extremely vulnerable to a range of climate impacts, ranging from shrinking glaciers and water scarcity to floods and rising sea levels. Shifting…

Blood Diamonds to Blockchain Diamonds?

Sep 3, 2018 | Forbes Africa

Do you know where your diamonds come from? Ethically-sourced minerals and gems have gained a lot of traction of late. And increasingly, globally, consumers want…

Time to Focus on Water Management in Arab World as Source of Growth and Stability

Aug 28, 2018 | Anders Jagerskog

In Gaza, the drinking water tastes like seawater. Years of neglect and poor management, due in large part to recurring conflicts, has led to the…

Destabilising Nature of Internal Water Wars

Aug 28, 2018 | Scott Moore

Nearly 15 years ago, the former head of India’s Central Water Commission warned that “hydro-politics is threatening the very fabric of federalism” in the world’s…

Artificial Intelligence: Our Next Ally against Environmental Risks

Aug 21, 2018 | Lou del Bello

A glance at one satellite map of the Peruvian Amazon is enough to grasp the scale of devastation humans are causing to one of Earth's…

How Metals and Minerals Play a Role in Funding Armed Groups in Africa

Aug 15, 2018 | Clare Church

The gold in our watches, the diamonds in our rings, the tin in our smartphones – all have been classified as conflict minerals, due to…

A Disappointing Afghanistan Fact: The Value of Land Grabs Peaks Seven Billion Dollars

Aug 15, 2018 | Shokrullah Amiri

Insurgency is a dilemma that has been linked to the name of Afghanistan for years with the drug mafia, corruption and now, unfortunately, land-grabs —…

Water Security in a New Age of Nationalism

Aug 14, 2018 | Giulio Boccaletti

The idea of a “new middle” or “third way”—a blend of neo-liberal economic doctrines and social policies that was supposed to overcome the dichotomy between…

How Resource Cooperation in Disputed Waters Can Be a Win-Win for China and the Philippines

Aug 14, 2018 | Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

Two years after a landmark ruling in their dispute over maritime territory in the South China Sea, the Philippines and China appear to be making subtle progress in…

Commentary: Think Outside of the Box to Tackle Water Scarcity

Aug 13, 2018 | Aloysius Chan

Water scarcity has been a ticking time bomb across the globe. Cape Town, one of Africa's most affluent metropolises, was on the brink of disaster when…

Iraq's Protests Are about More Than Corrupt Elites

Aug 8, 2018 | New Arab

Eleven people were killed during the protests that erupted in southern Iraq in early July, and over 800 others wounded. While corruption and the absence of basic…

A Rebuilt Economy Gives South Sudan Peace the Strongest Chance

Aug 6, 2018 | The National

The scenes of South Sudanese celebrating in the streets of Juba, matched by jubilation across the border in Khartoum, were both uplifting and inspiring as…

Is the World Ready for Eco-Refugee Waves?

Aug 4, 2018 | Shehab Al-Makahleh

The upshots of ecological changes may cause the movement of more than 25-30 million people in the coming decade. How can this be handled? It is…

Handover of the Tabqa Dam a Sign of Hope for Syrian Food and Water Security

Aug 1, 2018 | Phoebe Sleet

During July, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ceded control of Tabqa Dam to the Syrian Government in Damascus. The SDF have acted, while forces loyal to…

Mapping Climate Security: New Dashboard Tool Visualizes Complex Vulnerability in Asia

Jul 25, 2018 | Olivia Smith

In many parts of South and Southeast Asia, high population density and vulnerability to climate change combine with low levels of household resilience and poor…

Access to Water Continues to be Jeopardized for Millions of Children in War-Torn Yemen

Jul 24, 2018 | UNICEF

UNICEF deplores in the strongest terms yet another attack on vital and lifesaving water systems in Yemen. A large water facility in Sa’ada, northwest of the…

Protecting the Amazon Means Protecting Local Communities

Jul 23, 2018 | Aditi Sen

A recent report released by the government of Colombia highlights a 23% surge in deforestation in the country from 2016 to 2017, most notably in the Amazon…

Momentum Builds in the Fight for Land Rights in Guatemala: Making Us All a Bit Braver

Jul 20, 2018 | Shona Hawkes

In 2011, 769 families in the Polochic Valley in Guatemala were evicted to make way for the Chabil Utzaj sugar mill. Without land to farm and…

Is Pakistan Heading Towards a Civil War?

Jul 20, 2018 | Zeeshan Munir

Political fervor in Pakistan is on the rise. Elections 2018 are around corner and country is abuzz with political sloganeering, promises, hopes, blame-games and public…

Colombia's Price for Peace: Cocaine and the Environment

Jul 19, 2018 | Simeon Tegel

Sometimes winning the peace can be more complicated than winning the war. At least that seems to be the hard lesson that Colombia is learning as deforestation…

How Cocoa Farming Can Preserve Forests and Peace in Colombia

Jul 17, 2018 | Edward Davey

Victor Combita is a cocoa farmer and community leader from San José del Guaviare in the heart of the Colombian Amazon. For many years, his…

War, Drought, and Upstream Dams Hinder Water Access in Iraq

Jul 16, 2018 | Kayla Ritter

In Iraq, water availability has been both a casualty and a catalyst of conflict. Dams, canals, and other infrastructure were destroyed during years of war against Islamic…