Environmental Peacebuilding Association

Blogs & Opinions

Myanmar/Poland: Timber Trade Watchdog Urges Poland to Halt Imports of Myanmar ‘Blood Timber’

Feb 20, 2025 | Carolyn Cowan, Mongabay

Highly prized teak from Myanmar continues to be imported into Poland, despite EU sanctions on the Southeast Asian country’s state-run timber monopoly following the 2021…

Water: A Lifeline Frayed by Conflict

Feb 20, 2025 | Samuel Godfrey

UNICEF Sudan’s Samuel Godfrey says attacks on energy infrastructure have had a dramatic impact on communities.

DR Congo vs. Apple: A Push for a More Equitable Distribution of Critical Mineral Profits

Feb 19, 2025 | Bernadette Vivuya

On 17 December 2024, a bombshell dropped that sent shockwaves through the tech world: the Congolese government, which controls one of the world’s largest reserves…

Rare Earths in Ukraine? No, Only Scorched Earth.

Feb 19, 2025 | Javier Blas

What Ukraine has is scorched earth; what it doesn’t have is rare earths. Surprisingly, many people — not least, US President Donald Trump — seem…

Climate Change, Peace and Security: Discourse Versus Action in Asia

Feb 19, 2025 | Simone Bunse and Tabea Campbell Pauli

This year’s World Economic Forum called for greater urgency in discussing the impacts of climate change on human security and social, political, and economic stability.…

Actors Must Suspend Sourcing Minerals Financing Armed Groups in Democratic Republic of Congo

Feb 19, 2025 | IMPACT

Over 15 years ago, the term “conflict minerals” was first coined—driving attention to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). International and regional efforts emerged to address…

PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are in Munitions, and Other Military Applications Too

Feb 17, 2025 | Linsey Cottrell

Amidst growing international pressure to ban PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ over their toxicity and environmental persistence, their military applications beyond firefighting foams have received limited attention.…

Q&A: Should Climate Be a National Security Issue?

Feb 13, 2025 | Omair Ahmad

In his new book, 'Climate Security', Ashok Swain argues that climate issues are so important and urgent that they must be treated as national security…

The Inspiring Model of Community Conserved Territories in Myanmar: Launch of the Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park

Feb 13, 2025 | Karen Environmental and Social Action Network

Amidst conflict and displacement, the need to preserve the lands of the people and natural environment is urgent. But visionary endeavours are still continuing. In…

Building Resilience: Closing the Climate Knowledge Gap in the US Military

Feb 12, 2025 | Emily Pesicka

Climate change is a “threat multiplier” that intensifies existing vulnerabilities, disrupts operations, and introduces new security risks. While the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has…

Replacing One Polluting Sector with Another? The Perils of Shifting from Coal to Livestock in Cesar, Colombia

Feb 12, 2025 | Daniela Maestre and José Vega Araújo

Governments seeking to reduce economic dependence on fossil fuels need to replace these revenue sources with growth in other sectors. SEI experts, using Cesar, Colombia…

Closing Climate Security Gaps Requires More Reliable Data on Climate Finance

Feb 12, 2025 | Abeer S. Ahmad

A recent SIPRI study revealed a range of issues in how climate finance is reported and analysed. It focused on reported commitments and disbursements of…

Why Conflict Mineral Narratives Don’t Explain the M23 Rebellion in DR Congo

Feb 11, 2025 | Judith Verweijen and Christoph Vogel

The capture of North Kivu’s provincial capital, Goma, by the M23 armed group last month has multiplied international coverage of the forgotten crisis in eastern…

How the World Can Tackle the Yawning Gender Gap in the Sciences

Feb 10, 2025 | UNEP Nature Action
UNEP

With the planet facing a barrage of environmental concerns, there has never been a greater need for scientists capable of finding solutions to the triple…

A Blueprint for Sustainable Peace: The White House and Middle East Waters [Audio]

Feb 9, 2025 | Noam Bedein

The Abraham Accords represent an unprecedented opportunity to integrate water diplomacy and regional sustainable tourism into peacebuilding frameworks, transcending politics.

How Climate Change and Conflict Are Fueling a Global Food Crisis

Feb 6, 2025 | VisionRI

Climate change and geopolitical conflicts are creating a global food crisis, affecting crop production, supply chains, and economic stability. As extreme weather disrupts agriculture and…

The Health-Climate-Security Triad

Jan 31, 2025 | J. Stephen Morrison and Katherine E. Bliss

Imperiled health is the human face of climate change. Indeed, the climate crisis is increasingly recognized to be a health crisis. It is a crisis…

Afghanistan’s Untapped Mineral Wealth: A Lost Opportunity or a Path to Stability?

Jan 29, 2025 | Amu TV

Under the Taliban’s current regime, Afghanistan faces an unprecedented erosion of civil freedoms, especially for women. Deprived of their fundamental rights to education, work, and…

Beyond Genocide—Sudan's Overlooked Climate and Health Catastrophe

Jan 22, 2025 | Thurka Sangaramoorthy

The United States' declaration of genocide in Sudan marked a crucial moment of recognition. While this designation appropriately highlighted the deliberate targeting of civilians by…

Why We Need to Start Talking about the Relationship between Climate Change and Security

Jan 22, 2025 | Alice Ruhweza and Eric White

Climate change and the degradation of nature are no longer abstract concepts. They are occurring at pace and reshaping our world; as they do so…

We Must Embrace Complexity to Tackle Climate Change, Conflict and Environmental Degradation

Jan 19, 2025 | Camille Laville and Alice Gore

Climate change and conflict are inextricably linked – yet solutions rarely address the multifaceted nature of these complex, intractable problems. The authors' ongoing research in…

Possibilities for Creating Modern Strategies for Environmental Protection during Armed Conflicts According to International Mechanisms

Jan 16, 2025 | Anita Cucovic and Zyhdi Hajzeri

The protection of the environment during armed conflicts is one of the most important issues that affects the interests of the international community and affects…