Issue #21 – Oct 28, 2014

New Library Resources

In the last two weeks, 36 new publications were added to our online library of materials on environmental peacebuilding. Here is a sampling of the new additions:

The New Kings of Crude: China, India, and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan

January 1, 2014 | Luke Patey
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd

“In the past decade, the need for oil in Asia's new industrial powers, China and India, has grown dramatically.

Desertification: The Invisible Frontline

January 1, 2014 | UNCCD
UNCCD

“Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilizing communities on a global scale.

Silas and Community Mapping [Video]

January 1, 2014 | Silas Siakor
Sustainable Development Institute (SDI)

Silas Siakor, environmental activist and Goldman Prize Winner, and the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) have been working on community mapping throughout Liberia for many years.

Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA): Ethiopia

January 1, 2014
Ethiopia Central Statistical Agency and the World Food Programme

Although Ethiopia has come a long way in reducing poverty and food insecurity, widespread poverty and food insecurity still persist.

Food Appropriation through Large Scale Land Acquisitions

January 1, 2014 | Maria Cristina Rulli and Paolo D’Odorico
IOP Science

The increasing demand for agricultural products and the uncertainty of international food markets has recently drawn the attention of governments and agribusiness ﬁrms toward investments in productive agricultural land, mostly in the developing world.…

National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change

January 1, 2014 | CNA Military Advisory Board
CNA Corporation

Projected climate change is a complex multi-decade challenge. Without action to build resilience, it will increase security risks over much of the planet.

Climate Change and European Security

January 1, 2014 | Richard Youngs
Routledge

It is now commonly asserted that climate change will fundamentally change international relations.

Drought and Food Insecurity in Somalia

January 1, 2014
ActAlliance

The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains dire with drought alerts being sounded.

War and the Environment: New Approaches to Protecting the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict

January 1, 2014 | Rosemary Rayfuse (ed.)
Brill

The chapters in this volume have their origins in papers presented at a Workshop held at Lund University in Sweden.

Department of Defense 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap

January 1, 2014 | Department of Defense
Department of Defense

Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's ability to defend the Nation and poses immediate risks to U. S. national security.

International News

In the last two weeks, 63 international news items on environmental peacebuilding were posted on our website. Following is a sampling:

Central and East Africa: Food Security Alarm in Africa

September 2, 2014 | AllAfrica

Some 20 million people are facing acute food insecurity in eastern and central Africa, with most of them being at crisis and emergency levels, according to aid agencies.

Myanmar: 3,000 Farmers Petition Thein Sein Over Land Grab

September 2, 2014 | Eleven Myanmar

A petition calling for the return of 200,000 acres of land seized from farmers in Magway Region will be sent to President Thein Sein and the Parliament, representatives of the about 3,000 farmers…

Israel/Palestine: Israel Seizes 400 Hectares of West Bank Land [Video]

September 1, 2014 | Al Jazeera

The United States has urged Israel to reverse its decision to seize nearly 400 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank, a move anti-settlement activists termed the largest land grab in 30…

Conflict Resources: The Key to Solving Both ISIS and Russian Aggression

August 31, 2014 | David Francis, Fiscal Times

The crises in Ukraine and Iraq have little to do with one another.

South Sudan: Sudan: Deadlock

August 31, 2014 | StrategyWorld

August 31, 2014: As the South Sudan government and the South Sudan rebels (led by former vice-president Riek Machar) continue the civil war, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD, East African intergovernmental group) mediators…

Timor-Leste: Australian Government Wants East Timor Spy Charged

August 31, 2014 | Sydney Morning Herald

The Australian government has asked the federal police to investigate if lawyer Bernard Collaery and a former spy can be charged with disclosing classified information after revelations Australia spied on East Timor during sensitive oil and…

Myanmar: No Quick Fix for Rangoon Land-Grab Victims: Govt

August 29, 2014 | Yen Snaing, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Rangoon’s divisional government has said hundreds of land-grab cases brought to its attention will not be resolved by the end of its current term in early 2016, an admission that may…

Iraq: Water Wars: The Islamic State and the Mosul Dam

August 29, 2014 | Archinect

Water has become a central focus for both the Islamic State and its combatants in the current struggle being waged over the large geographic area of northern Iraq and southern Syria.

Afghanistan: NATO Urged to Recognise Natural Resource Governance as Crucial to Afghanistan’s Future Stability and Security

August 29, 2014 | Global Witness

NATO’s hopes for stability in Afghanistan – and a lasting legacy from its 11 year combat mission there – will be deeply undermined without action to address the growing threat of conflict and…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurdistan Oil Shipments Reach 8.8 Mln Barrels - Turkish Minister

August 29, 2014 | Reuters

ISTANBUL Aug 29 (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdistan has shipped 8.

Sharing and Posting Materials

The strength of the knowledge platform depends on submissions and suggestions on contents from users. To share publications and information on events, job opportunities, and other announcements, please contact share@environmentalpeacebuilding.org. Please also feel free to share ideas on how the platform can be further improved to meet your needs.

About Our Community of Practice

Environmental Peacebuilding is a knowledge platform and global community of practice on natural resources, conflict, and peace, hosted by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. The platform unites a global network of researchers, practitioners, and decision makers in sharing experiences and lessons from managing natural resources in fragile states and conflict-affected settings. The platform also helps people to access new publications on the topic, conduct new research, and participate in events to support the growth of the field. As part of our Community of Practice, we bring you biweekly updates on recent developments, including news about our program as well as links to new publications, upcoming conferences and events, and job openings.

Please visit us at www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org for more information.

Compiled by Jonny Beirne, Marisa Garcia, Foley Pfalzgraf, and Joel Young
Coordinated by Patrick Woolsey
Design by Graham Campbell
Managed and edited by Carl Bruch and David Jensen