Blogs & Opinions


Can Ukraine Hold Russia Accountable for Environmental Crimes?

May 16, 2022 | Federica Marsi

The former Soviet country runs 15 nuclear reactors, more than 1,600 chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical enterprises, and 148 coalmines. It was also the world’s sixth-largest exporter…


Blockchains Are Forever: DLT Makes Diamond Industry More Transparent

May 13, 2022 | Wahid Pessarlay

Diamonds are some of the world’s most valued gemstones, and the global diamond industry has managed to remain afloat despite being partially eclipsed by the…


Water Management in Armed Conflict: Improving Collaboration and Joint Knowledge

May 13, 2022 | Juliane Schillinger

Given the increasingly protracted nature of armed conflicts, the humanitarian needs of local populations are changing. This is true not only for short-term access to…


Addressing the Enablers of Coltan Smuggling in the DRC Requires Holistic Solutions

May 13, 2022 | Oluwole Ojewale

In the Great Lakes Region, the DRC stands at the centre of the instability which is often described as a transnational war‬ economy. The vast expanse…


Organized Environmental Crime: Why it Matters for Peace Operations

May 12, 2022 | Marina Caparini

‘Environmental crime’ lacks a universally agreed definition but has been referred to by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as ‘illegal activities harming the environment and aimed…


The Climate Security Agenda Is More About Strengthening Military Power than Tackling Climate Instability

May 12, 2022 | Nick Buxton, Nuria del Viso

In the last seven years, the trends we identified in the book of promoting military and security solutions to the climate crisis have sadly become…


Yemen: Environmental Pathways for Peace and Reconciliation?

May 12, 2022 | Amy Dallas and Julie Raasteen

The conflict in Yemen is approaching its eighth year and continues to evolve. It has fragmented the country’s social fabric, caused unthinkable humanitarian suffering, and…


The Climate–Conflict Nexus in Africa: A Conflict-Sensitive Approach

May 11, 2022 | Julia Freedberg

In contrast to previous debates on climate change, contemporary discussions emphasise the impacts that climate change has on human security.  While there is consensus about…


Climate Security, Energy Security, and the Russia-Ukraine War

May 11, 2022 | Mark Nevitt

Climate change is an existential crisis that requires an immediate, transformational shift away from fossil fuels — a point reinforced in stark terms in the…


The Risks of Gender-Blind Climate Action

May 10, 2022 | Marisa O. Ensor

Climate change is widely recognized as one the greatest threats to peace and security in the 21st century. The causal pathways that link deteriorating environmental conditions, insecurity, and conflict, while…


Reimagining the Aftermath of War, Now

May 10, 2022 | Aida A. Hozić and Juliana Restrepo Sanín

Feminist scholars stress two aspects of wars. First, they emphasise continuums and circuits of violence, challenging the usual dichotomies of war and peace, public and private, domestic and…


Why Climate Change Will Exacerbate Inequalities and Grievances in Iraq

May 9, 2022 | Dylan O’Driscoll, Shivan Fazil

The UN Environment Programme has ranked Iraq as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change. In recent years, it has increasingly witnessed extreme heatwaves with temperatures reaching…


System Shock: Russia’s War and Global Food, Energy, and Mineral Supply Chains

May 9, 2022 | Amanda King and Claire Doyle

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is sending shockwaves through global systems for natural resources like food, oil and natural gas, and critical minerals. But a recent Wilson…


Environment Ignored as Myanmar Struggles with Coup

May 6, 2022 | Thin Lei Win

When Myanmar’s military staged a coup more than a year ago and seized power from a democratically elected civilian government, not only did it undo…


Unpacking the Pentagon’s $3.1 Billion Climate Request

May 5, 2022 | John Conger

On March 28, the U.S. Federal Budget request for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) was released, officially kicking off the Congressional budget season and the ensuing…


The Climate, Security & Peace Nexus: A Perspective and Evidence from Kenya

May 3, 2022 | Elvin Nyukuri

Why is climate change a critical factor for peacebuilding? How are the fields of climate change, conflict prevention and peacebuilding interlinked? As shown in the…


Preventing Water Conflict through Dialogue

May 2, 2022 | Ken Conca

When considering the potential effects of “backdraft” on climate change responses, the question of the world’s water future may be the most salient of all—especially as we…


Five Rules for Climate Adaptation in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations

May 2, 2022 | Elise Remling

How can organizations working on adaptation in fragile and conflict-affected situations make sure their interventions not only do no harm, but even contribute to peace?

The magnitude of projected…


The Implications for Israel of a Possible War over the Nile

May 1, 2022 | Martin Sherman

The Blue Nile is one of the river’s two principal tributaries that converge near the Sudanese capital Khartoum and then flow northwards through Egypt to the Mediterranean…


A Loss of Ecological Security: The Demise of the Sistan Basin

Apr 29, 2022 | Laura Jean Palmer-Moloney

Water is one of the most critical factors for regional security and stability because it is multidimensional.

In my capacity as Senior Advisor on Water to…


Deforestation in Colombia: An Intricate Story of Conflict and Power

Apr 28, 2022 | Martina Igini

The loss of forests in Colombia is an intricate story of conflict, mismanagement, and illegal activities. Between 2002 and 2020, Colombia was losing green coverage at…


The Conversation: Why is Tackling Climate Change Critical in Ensuring World Peace and Security?

Apr 27, 2022 | The Conversation, UCDavis

Climate change isn’t a direct driver of conflict. Most scientists agree on this and it’s reflected in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II…


Do Not Underestimate the Links between Climate Change and Conflict, Experts Warn

Apr 27, 2022 | Francesco Femia, Caitlin Werrell

General Tom Middendorp (ret.), Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS), is one of more than a dozen leaders in the…


On Russia’s Invasion and Environmental Devastation of Ukraine: An Introduction to the Toxic Remnants of War

Apr 26, 2022 | Thomas Persico

TRW is not an easily defined concept. Many organizations have varying definitions of TRW, but the most common definition of TRW is: “any toxic or…


The Role of the Environmental War Crime in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Apr 25, 2022 | Elliot Winter

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has entered its third month. However, in the background, there is another victim of the invasion: the environment. 

As with most crimes,…


The Environmental Legacy of Russian Invasion of Ukraine Will Take Years to Clean Up

Apr 25, 2022 | Karen Graham

Russia’s war in Ukraine is poisoning the soil, water, and the air, with environmental-health experts saying pollutants released by the continuing assault could take years…


Potential Of Water Wars And Conflicts – OpEd

Apr 22, 2022 | Patial RC

Water conflicts may soon become the main source of discord between nations replacing the ongoing boundary disputes and discords.  Likely conflicts of water leading to wars may…


Climate May Not Directly Drive Conflict but It’s Critical for Building Peace

Apr 21, 2022 | Grazia Pacillo, Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Elisabeth Gilmore, Peter Läderach, and Tanaya Dutta Gupta

Climate change isn’t a direct driver of conflict. Most scientists agree on this and it’s reflected in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II…


“Climate Greatest Threat to Australia’s Security,” Ex-Defence Chief Says

Apr 21, 2022 | Michael Mazengarb

National security experts have called on Australian voters to use the federal election to support candidates that back strong action on climate change, saying Australia…


New Pentagon Inspector General Report on Climate Resilience in the Arctic: Key Takeaways

Apr 21, 2022 | Erin Sikorsky

Last week, the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG) released a new report evaluating the climate resilience of US military bases in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic…