Blogs & Opinions

‘An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure’: US Conflict Prevention Policy in a World of Climate Change

Mar 17, 2022 | Cynthia Brady

The crisis in Ukraine is rightly at the centre of U.S. foreign policy attention but, even in the midst of that justified focus, the latest IPCC…

The Environmental and Health Dimensions of the Ukraine War

Mar 16, 2022 | Erika Weinthal, Jeannie Sowers,

As has unfolded before in Grozny, Aleppo, and Gaza City, war exacts a heavy cost on cities. Urban centers depend on systems of coupled infrastructure;…

Afghan Mineral Wealth Attracts Competitors

Mar 16, 2022 | Asad Mirza

Even when the American occupation of Afghanistan was in full steam and apart from the fighting there were mainly reports of the ongoing fighting, yet…

Environmental Change, Migration, and Peace in the Northern Triangle

Mar 14, 2022 | Jill Baggerman

Relative to the governance challenges, violence, and inequities, environmental pressures have historically played a more minor role in migration trends. However, Central America has been…

10 Ways War Harms Wildlife

Mar 11, 2022 | John R. Platt

Here are 10 of the most dangerous ways war affects the animals and plants around us — many of which also harm humans in the…

New Scenarios on Global Food Security Based on Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Mar 11, 2022 | Qu Dongyu

Over the past two years, COVID-19 has presented many challenges to global food security. Today, what is happening in Russia and Ukraine adds another significant…

Taking Stock of Environmental Peacemaking at 20

Mar 11, 2022 | Shruti Samala

Twenty years after the publication of Environmental Peacemaking, a foundational theoretical and case study volume on environmental peacebuilding, what has not changed is the thorny conceptual…

Africa: Women Bear Brunt of Climate Disasters - They Should Lead Climate Solutions #AfricaClimateCrisis

Mar 11, 2022 | Melody Chironda

Global news headlines focus on climate projections about rising sea levels and high temperatures - but we rarely discuss how girls and women are on…

Blood Diamonds, Blood Oil

Mar 10, 2022 | John Jeffay

Today Russia stands accused of funding its invasion of Ukraine with what critics are calling blood oil. Russia exported $110bn of crude oil in 2021 and…

Climate Talks 'Need Women'

Mar 10, 2022

Marking this year's International Women's Day, the United Nations has called for the inclusion of women as leading voices to address climate change and guard…

Guest Post: In Conflict and Peace, What Drives Deforestation in Colombia?

Mar 9, 2022 | Augusto Castro-Nunez, Janelle M. Sylvester, and Raphael Ganzenmüller

Today, deforestation continues to beset Colombia’s conflict-affected areas, despite attempts to incorporate environmental conservation into peacebuilding activities. This suggests that our understanding of the complexities…

Gender Lens, Essential in Global Response to Climate-Induced Migration

Mar 8, 2022 | Renate Held

Vienna, International Women’s Day 2022 – Some people think of migration as a relatively new phenomenon: the “unfinished business of globalization”. Others call it humanity’s oldest…

Women Play a Key Role in Fighting Climate Change

Mar 8, 2022 | Annette Ssemuwemba, Apurva Mudliar, and Peter Donelan

Women are 14 times more likely to die from a climate disaster than men. That finding, by UN Women, reflects growing acknowledgment that the adverse effects…

Covid-19 and Climate Crisis Worsen Inequalities for Displaced Women and Girls

Mar 8, 2022

Conflict, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic are delivering a triple blow to the rights and safety of refugee, internally displaced and stateless women and…

Women and the Environment: An Asia-Pacific Snapshot

Mar 8, 2022

Women and men interact with their environments differently. Women are disproportionately dependent on natural resources, but have less decision-making power over them. Men are more…

Climate Crisis Threatens Food Security for Women and Girls

Mar 8, 2022

Johannesburg – Women and girls, especially in rural communities, continue to face the brunt of the climate crisis that exacerbates pre-existing inequalities, jeopardizes their food…

How These Women Are Contributing to a Sustainable Tomorrow

Mar 8, 2022

Every year on March 8, International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements and calls attention to the challenges they face. The 2022 International Women’s Day  theme is “Gender…

International Women’s Day: Women at the Heart of Climate Action

Mar 8, 2022

The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2022 is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow,” recognizing the leading role of women and girls…

International Women’s Day Celebrates the Contribution of Women and Girls as Climate Solution Multipliers

Mar 8, 2022

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the past three years led the Obama administration in making international women’s issues central to progressive foreign policy. A…

States Reluctant to Strengthen Laws Protecting the Environment from War

Mar 8, 2022 | Conflict and Environment Observatory

The invasion of Ukraine has once again highlighted the threat that wars pose to the environment. It has also drawn attention to the weakness of…

What Do We Know About Climate Change, Peace and Conflict?

Mar 8, 2022 | Tobias Ide

Very recently, Working Group 2 of the IPCC released its latest (sixth) report on the impacts of climate change, including on peace and conflict.

The peace- and conflict-related…

War in Ukraine Boosts the EU’s Energy Transition

Mar 7, 2022 | Alexander Verbeek

This week feels like living in November 1989 or September 2001; the news cycle moves so fast that you can’t keep track. So you follow…

Education - A Crucial Piece of the Climate Justice and Gender Equality Puzzle

Mar 7, 2022 | Susan Hopgood

For decades we have mobilised across the world and have worked towards gender equality, and increasingly over the last few years to address climate injustice.…

How Are Nuclear Power Plants Protected by Law During War?

Mar 7, 2022 | Anne Dienelt

The world held its breath when, on the morning of March 4, 2022, reports became public that Russian military forces had attacked the largest nuclear…

Legal Accountability for Environmental Destruction in Ukraine

Mar 7, 2022 | Rachel Killean

In an open letter published on the 3rd March, the Environmental Peacebuilding Association decried the intentional occupation of nuclear sites, including Chernobyl, and emphasised the risks of military…

Environmental Trends in the Ukraine Conflict, 10 Days in

Mar 5, 2022 | Doug Weir

Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of globally important agricultural commodities and fertiliser. As with oil prices, the invasion is already pushing up the prices…

Climate Finance and the Peace Dividend

Mar 4, 2022 | Catherine Wong

According to the OECD, countries receiving the least climate finance include not only the least developed, but also high-income countries in the Middle East and middle-income…

Review: The Army Climate Strategy and the Climate Security Plan for America

Mar 4, 2022 | Francesco Fmia and Caitlin Werrell

The U.S. Army released its first climate strategy on February 8, the first Service within the Department of Defense (DoD) to do so. This post summarizes and…

The Environmental Dimensions of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Mar 4, 2022 | Wilson Center

Today, the Environmental Peacebuilding Association published an open letter, signed by 902 individuals and 156 organizations from more than 75 countries, to express solidarity with the people…

Tethering to Human Rights in the Pushes and Pulls of Human Mobility

Mar 3, 2022 | Jill Baggerman

We live in an era of mobility of ideas, money, and people, said Oli Brown, Associate Fellow at Chatham House. 

According to the World Bank’s Groundswell…