Blogs & Opinions
Use of Water as a Weapon of War Likely to Increase
Jun 13, 2023
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Kerry Boyd Anderson
The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine last week highlighted the role of water in warfare. The use of water as a weapon…
The Taliban’s Opium Ban: A Success or a Failure?
Jun 13, 2023
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Altaf Moti
Afghanistan is the world’s biggest opium producer and a major source for heroin in Europe and Asia. Production spiraled over the past 20 years despite…
ELN Ceasefire Could Ease Environmental Degradation in Colombia
Jun 12, 2023
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Conflict and Environment Observatory
The new Colombian government is in the midst of an attempt to conclude its decades-long internal conflict, and a deal with the ELN forms a…
Conflict, Crisis, and Peacebuilding: Afghanistan and Regional Water Security
Jun 12, 2023
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Elizabeth B. Hessami
Gunfire erupted at the border of the Afghan Nimroz Province and Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan Province on May 27, 2023, amid rising tensions over water rights, killing…
Water on Boil: Weaponization of Water in Contemporary Geopolitics
Jun 10, 2023
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Rahul M. Lad and Ravindra G. Jaybhaye
A huge Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine has been devastated on June 6, unleashing a flood of water in Southern Ukraine.…
Could the Nova Kakhovka Dam Destruction Become the ICC’s First Environmental Crimes Case?
Jun 9, 2023
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Thomas Hansen
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is likely right when he labels the Nova Kakhovka Dam destruction the “largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.” Accountability…
When the Levee Breaks: Five Military Takeaways from the Kakhovka Dam’s Destruction
Jun 8, 2023
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Timothy Heck and Zachary Griffiths
The destruction of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River has launched a wave of recriminations as both the Ukrainian and Russian governments blamed each…
Should the Security Council Engage with Implications of Climate Change? Let’s Look at the Scientific Evidence
Jun 8, 2023
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Halvard Buhaug, Cedric de Coning, and Nina von Uexkull
Climate change is a controversial topic at the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The Council has adopted over 70 resolutions and presidential statements that address…
Expert’s Take: Six Ways Sri Lanka’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security Will Support Women During Crises
Jun 8, 2023
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Prashani Dias
Conflicts and crises affect everyone, but do they affect everyone the same? Sri Lanka’s past shows how the legacy of armed conflict imposes particular hardships…
Hunger’s Rising but so Is a Key Solution: Gender Equality
Jun 8, 2023
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The Christian Science Monitor
The United Nations reported last month that, among countries without violent conflict, Afghanistan has the highest number of people (2.8 million) facing a “catastrophic” level…
We Must Center Gender and Community Rights for Climate Action (Commentary)
Jun 8, 2023
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Coraina de la Plaza and Valentina F. Martínez
As we head into the mid-year climate talks in Bonn, Germany, the corporate co-opting of the climate agenda has never been starker. Public pressure must…
Are We Ready for the Terror Threat Posed by El Niño?
Jun 7, 2023
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Erin Sikorsky
Imagine the U.S. government had credible information that a terrorist group was planning attacks in multiple cities across the globe. Attacks that could result in…
Climate Change, Disasters and Armed Conflict
Jun 7, 2023
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Tobias Ide
Both experts and policy makers have long expressed concerns about climate change as a security risk, with disasters playing a key role in these debates.
My new…
The Destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam and International Humanitarian Law: Some Preliminary Thoughts
Jun 6, 2023
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Marko Milanovic
This morning the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine was destroyed, in circumstances which remain unclear. Thousands of people are in peril, while the devastation of…
A Deadly Duo: Climate Change and Conflict Are Fuelling Nigeria’s Food Insecurity Crisis
Jun 6, 2023
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Michael Ekwe
The 2022 Global Food Security Index — which ranks countries based on food affordability, availability, quality and safety — ranked Nigeria 107 out of 113 countries. This…
Integrating Gender and Social Inclusion in Nature-Based Solutions: A Way Forward
Jun 5, 2023
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Brenden Jongman, Mirtha Escobar, Lara Jungman and Balikisu Osman
Vietnam, with its vast coastline extending over 3,000 kilometres, is not only home to prosperous fisheries and socio-economic activities but also bears the brunt of…
Water Diplomacy – A Tool for Peace and Well Being
Jun 4, 2023
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Kiran Bhatt
On March 22nd every year, World Water Day is celebrated. The theme for 2023 focused on accelerating changes to resolve the water and sanitation crisis as…
The Horn of Africa Crisis: “The Challenge of a Generation”
Jun 1, 2023
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CARE
Across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, the Horn of Africa is experiencing the extreme effects of climate change. Compounded by other factors, the impacts on communities…
Bridging the Gap between Peacebuilders and Environmentalists
May 29, 2023
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Tia Savarese
Conflict, environmental threats and disasters, climate change, and food insecurity are often considered separate issues with separate solutions. These issues are, in actuality, all directly…
Trafficking in the Sahel: Guns, Gas, and Gold
May 29, 2023
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United Nations News
Chili peppers, fake medicine, fuel, gold, guns, humans, and more are being trafficked via millennia-old trade routes crisscrossing the Sahel, and the UN and partners…
Tackling Challenges in the MENA Region: Climate, Food Security, and Migration
May 26, 2023
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Angus Soderberg
Climate change, food insecurity, and migration converge to create conditions that have made the MENA region even more susceptible to unrest and conflict. Yet changing…
When Protecting Nature Helps Build Peace
May 25, 2023
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Vanessa Bauza
Over the past 60 years, more than 40 percent of civil wars or armed conflicts have been linked to competition over resources. And that’s expected to grow…
EU’s Flawed Reliance on Audits, Certifications for Raw Materials Rules
May 24, 2023
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Human Rights Watch
The European Union’s effort to secure a sustainable and secure supply of minerals, including through the draft Critical Raw Materials Act, is increasingly relying on flawed…
Liberia’s Biological Diversity Is Its Economic Power Horse
May 23, 2023
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Stephen Rodriques
Liberia prides itself as a nation endowed with a substantial share of global biodiversity. The country is regarded as one of the biodiversity hotspots in…
Building Peace by Formalizing Gold Mining in the Central Sahel
May 23, 2023
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Jorden de Haan and Aly Diarra
The Central Sahel is increasingly deemed the new epicenter of terrorism, accounting for 35 percent of global terrorism deaths in 2021. Yet as the situation in…
Addressing the Converging Risks of Climate, Insecurity, and Migration in Central America
May 19, 2023
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Claire Doyle
The idea of climate change as a “threat multiplier” has been gaining steam since it was first proposed roughly 15 years ago. This framing acknowledges…
Water Scarcity and Environmental Peacebuilding: A Lens on Southern Iraq
May 18, 2023
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Ali Al-Bayaa and Mostafa Mashhad
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are Iraq’s primary sources of water. However, both rivers originate in Turkey and flow through Syria before passing through Iraq.…
Intersectional Gender Equity Must Inform Efforts to Enhance Climate Security in Africa
May 16, 2023
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Marisa O. Ensor
The adverse consequences of climate change are being felt around the world, but nowhere more keenly than in Africa. While African nations are among the least responsible for…
Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan Worsens, With Disproportionate Impacts to Women and Girls
May 11, 2023
With over 600 people dead, 5,100 injured, approximately 730,000 displaced, and few health centers operational, the dire situation in Sudan is getting worse, with growing…
How Satellite Prevented a War for Water
May 11, 2023
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Robert Bell
Have you ever been really, really thirsty? Not just dry-mouthed in the middle of the night or longing for a cold drink after an afternoon…