Blogs & Opinions

We Are Missing the Peace in Climate Action

Sep 9, 2025 | Nazanine Moshiri

Despite the prevalence of climate diplomacy, its policy discussions often have a critical blind spot: The people who are worst affected rarely feature in summits,…

If Linked Mainly to Mineral and Business Deals, Peace Efforts in DRC Congo and Rwanda Will Not Go Far

Sep 7, 2025 | Bharat Dogra

Although a peace process involving Rwanda and DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) is supposed to be in place, this has not stopped eruption of violence,…

Indus Waters Treaty: From Cooperative Vision to Calculated Confrontation

Sep 4, 2025 | Medha Bisht

Instead of believing that strategic patience would breed stability, the Modi government’s strategic escalation has made Indus water flows a tool of coercive diplomacy.

Economic and Political Fragility and Insecurity: A Climate Triple Threat in South Sudan

Sep 3, 2025 | Rachel Stromsta

Among the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, South Sudan’s crisis is only expected to worsen, as the country lacks the requisite…

Transboundary Water Security in a Warming World: Conflict Risks, Cooperation Pathways, and Policy Imperatives

Sep 3, 2025 | Ashok Swain

Water security—the reliable availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, ecosystems, and production—has emerged as one of the defining challenges…

Three Reasons Why the Climate Crisis Must Reshape How We Think about War

Sep 3, 2025 | Duncan Depledge

The relationship between war and climate change is complex. But here are three reasons why the climate crisis must reshape how we think about war.

How Unexploded Bombs Cause Environmental Damage – and Why Climate Change Exacerbates the Problem

Sep 3, 2025 | Sarah Njeri

There are a record number of conflicts raging around the world – from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Myanmar. Alongside their devastating human toll,…

Ecocide and Resistance in Palestine

Sep 2, 2025 | Mazin Qumsiyeh

As a Palestinian scientist and ecologist deeply rooted in Palestine’s landscapes and communities, the author bears witness to a catastrophic unfolding—a systematic assault on our…

Gold in Sudan: A Resource between Looting and Smuggling… or a Tool for Post-War Recovery

Aug 29, 2025 | Omer Sidahmed

For thousands of years, gold has been tied to Sudan’s identity—from the kingdoms of Kush and Napata to the inscriptions left by the Pharaohs who…

Conflict at COPs: Russia’s Exit from the Ramsar Convention

Aug 28, 2025 | Eva Baudichau and Meng Wang

Russia’s withdrawal from the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands didn’t make global headlines—but it probably should have. At first glance, a wetlands convention may seem an…

Why Future Wars Will Be Fought over Water Supply

Aug 26, 2025 | Patrick Yeager

In the coming years, increasing water insecurity will threaten many nations’ internal stability, challenge the viability of large cities worldwide, and worsen international conflicts. Of…

‘Carbon Colonialism’?

Aug 26, 2025 | Tina S. Mehnpaine

The Liberian government has sparked a debate with the release of its draft Carbon Development Policy, which declares that all carbon credits generated within the…

How Weather Stations Are Empowering Farmers and Building Peace in Northwest Nigeria

Aug 25, 2025 | UNDP Nigeria

For generations, farmers in Nigeria have relied on traditional agricultural practices, their wisdom passed down through time and rooted in cultural traditional knowledge. These methods…

Tackling Security and Climate Challenges in the Lake Chad Basin Requires Collaboration

Aug 21, 2025 | Aminata Niang

The consequences of climate change in the Lake Chad Basin are not only environmental but also tied to conflict and insecurity. The resource scarcity caused…

The Brahmaputra and the Geopolitics of Water Sharing

Aug 21, 2025 | Himangshu Ranjan Bhuyan

Flowing through some of the most sensitive political geographies of Asia, the Brahmaputra is nor merely a river but a lifeline that sustains millions, a…

Kenya to Host New Global Centre to Combat Human-Nature Conflict

Aug 20, 2025 | TV47 Kenya

Kenya is set to become the epicenter of Africa’s fight against human-nature conflict and environmental crime after allocating land in Nairobi for a new global…

When Water becomes War: The Moral Failure of Global Governance in the Middle East

Aug 20, 2025 | Peiman Salehi

The Middle East today is witnessing a transformation that goes far beyond conventional geopolitics or the competition for oil. One of the most urgent yet…

Greening the Military: Why Defence Spending Must Align with Climate Action

Aug 14, 2025 | Hema Nadarajah

In preparing for conflicts, we may be compromising our ability to confront the climate emergency. Sustainability must be part of our defence strategy.

Climate Security Is National Security. Africa Is Our First Line of Defense

Aug 12, 2025 | Patrick Verkooijen

NATO’s decision to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, including 1.5% for resilience and critical infrastructure, marks the most significant shift…

Minerals over Peace? Rethinking the DRC-Rwanda Accord

Aug 8, 2025 | Batseba Seifu

On June 27, 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda signed what has been touted as a significant peace agreement in Washington, DC—a…

Remembering the Journey: The GERD Dispute and the Promise of Diplomacy

Aug 7, 2025 | Seble Getachew

It is important to remember those early days of the GERD dispute, when there was genuine hope that dialogue and diplomacy would prevail. Back in…

Hallucinating Climate Security: A Cautionary Tale about Generative AI

Aug 6, 2025 | Tobias Ide

Recent studies indicate that over 90% of all students – and an increasing number of policy makers – are using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to…

Trading Minerals for Security: Why Africa’s Latest Deal Could Backfire

Aug 4, 2025 | Conversation

Recently, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda struck a US-brokered peace deal that exchanges mineral wealth for vague security promises. Signed in June 2025,…

Climate Projects in South Sudan Can Turn Deadly – How to Avoid This

Aug 4, 2025 | Conversation

South Sudan, which has been torn apart by a civil war, is vulnerable to extreme weather events, frequent floods and drought, to which it must…

From Struggle to Strength: A Young Farmer’s Journey Toward Sustainable Prosperity

Aug 4, 2025 | Desalegne Tadesse
CIMMYT

At just 25 years of age, Tigist Adamo’s experience epitomized the daily realities of countless smallholder farmers in South Ethiopia. Confronted by declining crop yields, scarce resources, and…

Somaliland's Hidden Advantage: How Lithium and Location Could Secure Recognition

Aug 3, 2025 | Abdiaziz Mahamoud Yusouf

Since declaring independence in 1991, Somaliland has persistently sought international recognition. Despite notable progress in peacebuilding, democratic governance, and institutional development, the quest for recognition…

UN Migration Agency Warns of Deepening Climate and Displacement Crisis in Somalia

Aug 2, 2025 | Kelechi Onyemaobi

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that climate shocks and mass displacement caused by conflict have uprooted some 3.6 million people in…

Europe’s Defence Build-up Is a Climate Gamble – Here’s How It Can Course Correct

Jul 31, 2025 | Florian Krampe

Just as NATO adopts an ambitious defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product, Spain is charting a distinct course. While securing an exemption…

Preventing an India-Pakistan Water War

Jul 30, 2025 | Samaan Lateef

India’s decision to walk away from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan marks an unprecedented and consequential shift in one of South Asia’s few…

Peacebuilding: The Missing Peace in COP30 Climate Ambition

Jul 30, 2025 | Janani Vivekananda

Peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and crime prevention are no longer niche security concerns—they are global imperatives for sustainable climate action. From the migration crisis in Venezuela…