A Pacific Climate–Peace Nexus
Publisher: Toda Peace Institute
Author(s): Timothy Bryar and Jamie Tarawa
Date: 2026
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes
This policy brief argues that the Pacific Islands region offers a distinct and instructive approach to thinking about the relationship between climate change and peace. Rather than emphasizing a ‘climate–conflict nexus’, Pacific Island experiences suggest this relationship can be better understood through the lenses of social cohesion, relational security, cultural continuity and ecological stewardship. From this perspective, the Pacific Islands region does not simply sit outside the climate–conflict debate but rather offers a distinctive way of thinking about a climate–peace nexus.