Blogs & Opinions
Making Peace with the Paris Agreement
May 18, 2022
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Catherine Wong
The Paris Agreement was nothing less than a landmark agreement. Legally binding, adopted by 196 parties to the convention, it has inspired hope and ambition…
How the Taliban’s New Burqa Order Threatens Economic and Workplace Progress for Afghanistan’s Women
May 17, 2022
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Olivia Peluso
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has ordered women to cover their faces in public in a return to a signature policy of their past rule and an escalation…
The Missing Peace: Making Sustainable Development Work
May 17, 2022
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Carl Bruch, Catriona Gourlay, Ryan Maia, and Catherine Wong
Peace is an essential element of sustainable development. In early June, the international community will gather at the forthcoming Stockholm+50 International Meeting to reflect on…
The Ukraine War Is Deepening Global Food Insecurity — What Can Be Done?
May 16, 2022
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Arif Husain
Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, the global economy was suffering from the repercussions of several man-made conflicts, climate shocks, COVID-19 and rising costs — with…
The “Fuel of the Future” and Water Insecurity in South Africa’s Platinum Belt
May 16, 2022
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Tokollo Matsabu
Hydrogen fuel is becoming a central pillar of global decarbonization strategies. The hype over green hydrogen (the “fuel of the future”) and its potential to…
Can Ukraine Hold Russia Accountable for Environmental Crimes?
May 16, 2022
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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,…