Blogs & Opinions

Women at the Crossroads of Climate Change: AIIB Lessons Learned in Gender-Responsive Finance

Dec 4, 2023 | Philip Martin, Seleha Lockwood, Irem Kizilca, and Jing-Yuan Deng

The unequal impact of climate change on women and the importance of gender-responsive climate finance is widely acknowledged. Considering the key role of women and…

We Can Tackle Conflicts and Climate Change Together - It's Not One or the Other

Dec 4, 2023 | Jorge Moreira da Silva

This experience is backed by research carried out by Unops and the Danish Institute for International Studies that showed sustainable, inclusive and resilient infrastructure plays…

What Is Possible for Peace and Conflict Sensitivity at COP28?

Dec 4, 2023 | Annika Erickson-Pearson and Munini Mutuku

The Peace@COP28 community identified two goals, in early 2023, to serve as our North Star as we approach COP28: to raise awareness and mainstream peace…

Getting Climate Funds to Conflict Zones – a Case for Working with Armed Groups and Local Communities

Dec 4, 2023 | Ashley Jackson

Conflict-affected countries receive significantly less climate adaptation funding. They get about one-third of the per capita climate financing compared to conflict-free countries. The Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative has…

Efforts to Slow Climate Change Could Inadvertently Create Humanitarian Crises

Dec 1, 2023 | James Huang and Marx Itabelo Lwabanya

Up to 30 percent of the DRC’s cobalt is extracted through “artisanal mining”—small scale operations that rely on child labor, unsafe working conditions and exposure to hazardous…

Climate Action Must Avoid Fueling Conflict

Nov 30, 2023 | Inge Brees and Harriet Mackaill-Hill

In conflict-affected areas, the impact of climate change is one of many governmental priorities, and treating the two separately obstructs innovative and collaborative approaches, which…

What to Expect on Militarism, Conflict and Climate at COP28

Nov 30, 2023 | Ellie Kinney

In June, the UAE announced that COP28 would host a special themed day on ‘Relief, Recovery, and Peace’ for the first time. The decision was…

When the Data Doesn’t Tell the Full Story: Improving Gender-Responsive Climate Finance

Nov 29, 2023 | Mariam Ibrahim, Fionna Smyth, Claudia Wells, and Euan Ritchie

Women and girls are often on the front line of the climate crisis, including as environmental defenders, food producers and care givers. It has already…

In Climate Diplomacy, Being Gender-Blind Leaves Women Behind

Nov 28, 2023 | Alison Davis

The climate crisis affects everyone, but some groups are more vulnerable than others. When climate policies fail to make considerations for people who are at greater…

Why We Need Gender and Environment Data on the Agenda at COP28

Nov 28, 2023 | Papa Seck

For the first time last week, global temperatures rose beyond the critical 2-degrees-Celsius threshold. Without drastic action, the UN has warned of catastrophic consequences for…

Mapping the Impacts and Conflicts of Rare-Earth Elements

Nov 28, 2023 | Mariana Walter, Claudia Custodio, Volahery Andriamanantenasoa, and John Feffer

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 chemical elements considered critical for digitalization and for the energy transition. While called “rare”, they are not…

COP28 Must Address Militarization

Nov 28, 2023 | Ray Levy Uyeda

As the earth approaches climate tipping points, world leaders must consider the world’s largest institutional emitter of fossil fuels: the U.S. military.

Citizen Science in Conflict Zones for Community Empowerment

Nov 27, 2023 | Katerina Zourou and Stefania Oikonomou

Armed conflicts continue to populate (unfortunately!) the columns of news websites and social media feeds. From Afghanistan to Ukraine and the Middle East, communities are…

Climate Change: Rise in Google Searches Around ‘Anxiety’

Nov 22, 2023 | Lucy Gilder

Online search queries related to "climate anxiety" have risen, according to data gathered by Google and shared exclusively with BBC 100 Women.Studies also suggests that…

European Parliament Calls for Closure of Military Emissions Gap

Nov 22, 2023 | Ellie Kinney

The European Parliament prepares an annual resolution ahead of each UN climate conference, with new amendments proposed and debated, and which build on the text…

How Will Israel-Hamas Conflict Impact COP28 Climate Summit?

Nov 21, 2023 | Cathrin Schaer

Last year, the much-praised eco-power project shared by former foes Jordan and Israel was touted as an example of how environmentally friendly policies could bring about a better future…

Conflict and Weak Governance Fuel Yemen’s Environmental Crisis

Nov 21, 2023 | Hannah Porter

In late October, residents of the coastal border areas between Oman and Yemen braced themselves as Tropical Cyclone Tej made landfall. Predictions varied for the…

Relief, Recovery, and Peace: Peter Schwartzstein on COP28’s New Theme

Nov 21, 2023 | Wilson Center

In a conversation with MEP director, Merissa Khurma, Schwartzstein discusses the impact of the war in Gaza on COP28 and environmental peacebuilding efforts more broadly…

Building Peace amidst Climate Challenges: Insights from Conciliation Resources

Nov 19, 2023 | Mercy Masta

This first paper, titled A Changing Climate For Peace: Navigating Conflict in the Climate Crisis explores the intricate relationship between climate change, conflict, and peacebuilding. Drawing from…

Sudanese Warring Parties Trade Blame for Damaged Dam South of Khartoum

Nov 18, 2023 | Reuters

The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces blamed each other on Saturday for a strike that damaged a bridge over the Jebel Awlia…

War in the Breadbasket: Landmines and Food Security in Ukraine

Nov 16, 2023 | Marie Riquier and Henrique Garbino

Global food insecurity has surged in recent years, affecting about 258 million people in 58 countries or territories in 2022. Violent conflict is one of the leading drivers, alongside economic…

DRC Can Overcome Fragility to become Africa’s Leading Climate Solutions Country

Nov 16, 2023 | Ana Bucher, Sandra El Saghir, and Ruzandra Burdescu

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a true climate “solutions” country with its enormous reserves of green minerals, pristine forests, and a large hydro power…

Ukraine’s Energy Security Can’t Come at the Cost of the Environment

Nov 14, 2023 | Darya Tsymbalyuk

In my hometown of Mykolaiv this summer, I met environmental scholar Inna Tymchenko. She is leading a campaign to preserve parts of a nearby national park, Buzkyi Gard,…

Gender-Responsive Climate Finance: The Key to Just Climate Action and Tackling Inequalities

Nov 13, 2023 | Leia Achampong

Countries in the global south have historically contributed the least to causing climate change, yet their economies are disproportionately impacted by the consequences of climate…

Rising Tides, Rising Stakes: Climate Change, Conflict, and the Pursuit of Sustainable Peace

Nov 13, 2023 | Rameen Siddqui

Climate change not only has the capacity to exacerbate existing conflicts but also has the potential to disempower communities, pushing them further into the throes…

Climate Change Is a Growing Risk for Older Women

Nov 10, 2023 | Danielle Argoni

When forest fires roared through Carpinteria, Calif., in 2017, 88-year-old Nadine Demalleville had just five minutes to evacuate the mobile home where she lived alone…

Israel-Gaza War Is Just One Example of How Conflict Is the Biggest Driver of World Hunger

Nov 10, 2023 | David Dodwell

In 1798, Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population, warning that unchecked population growth put unsustainable pressure on food supplies, and that…

COP28: Why a Gender Power Divide Threatens Climate Progress

Nov 9, 2023 | Sarah Morley and Isabelle Zhu-Maguire

What does gender have to do with global climate change negotiations?

Climate change is not an inherently gender discriminatory phenomenon – but its social impacts are.…

Preserving the Planet in Times of Conflict

Nov 7, 2023 | Syed Aaliya

The International Day for Preventing Environment in Wars and Armed Conflicts, marked on November 6th annually, serves as a poignant reminder of the grievous toll…

Recognizing the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

Nov 6, 2023 | Wilson Center

In 2001, the UN General Assembly declared November 6 the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. One of…