Blogs & Opinions

Peace with Nature

Oct 28, 2024 | René Wadlow

The conference of the governments that have signed the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversityare meeting from 21 Oct to 1 Nov 2024 in Cali, Colombia with…

'There is Nothing More Queer than Nature' - Brigitte Baptiste on Biodiversity, Sexuality, and Healthy Irony

Oct 25, 2024 | Brigitte Baptiste
Emily Hart: Reporting from Colombia

With the COP16 biodiversity conference now in full flow in Cali, I wanted to share this brief interview with the inimitable Brigitte Baptiste: renowned biologist,…

Climate Change, Conflict and Fragility: A Recipe for Disasters

Oct 24, 2024 | Manisha Gulati, Yue Cao, Amir Khouzam, and Mauricio Vazquez

What is common to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen? Besides being classified as fragile and conflict-affected situations, they are…

Demilitarizing Environmental Protection Will Benefit Colombia’s Biodiversity

Oct 23, 2024 | Caroline Delgado and Tatjana Edle von Peter

The peace process in Colombia has transformed the country’s security landscape. With the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), once…

Iran Presses for Helmand River Water Rights amid Ongoing Dispute with Taliban

Oct 22, 2024 | Amu TV

Iran is actively pursuing its water rights from the Helmand River under Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, according to Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry. In a…

Beyond Food Security: The Potential Gendered Consequences of Food Aid

Oct 21, 2024 | Caroline Delgado and Simone Bunse
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

In conflict-affected humanitarian settings where there are high levels of food insecurity, women and men face distinct challenges that can deeply affect gender relations. The same…

Colombia’s Call for Peace with Nature

Oct 21, 2024 | Catalina Gutiérrez Chacón

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) that convenes this week in Cali, Colombia, will have “Peace with Nature” as its main theme. Although this motto,…

Environmental Peacebuilding in Protracted Refugee Situations: From Conflict to Cooperation

Oct 21, 2024 | Tom Cavanagh

In 2024, the global refugee crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with over 120 million people forcibly displaced as a result of violence and conflict. Many…

Climate Security and Geopolitics

Oct 21, 2024 | Project Syndicate

Being especially vulnerable to climate change, the Global South is open to receiving financial, technical, and other forms of support from wherever they can get…

Why Climate Security Needs a Superhero – Its Name, Is Foresight

Oct 16, 2024 | Jennifer Hotsko

Climate security refers to the ways in which climate change exacerbates existing social, economic, and political vulnerabilities, potentially leading to conflict and instability.  It turns…

Securing a Climate for Peace, Grounded in Local Reality

Oct 16, 2024 | Juliane Schillinger

“Climate security” is defined by the UN as the impacts of climate change on peace and security, especially in areas that are already fragile or…

Famine Takes Grip in Africa’s Prolonged Conflict Zones [Infographic]

Oct 15, 2024 | Africa Center for Strategic Studies

Eighty percent of the record 163 million Africans facing acute food insecurity are in conflict-affected countries, including potentially 840,000 people confronting famine in Sudan, South…

Has Climate Securitisation Obstructed Military Decarbonisation?

Oct 15, 2024 | Doug Weir

According to climate security orthodoxy, climate change is a threat multiplier. It is a threat to national security. It is something that is happening to…

Opinion: Weaponising Water

Oct 14, 2024 | Hanna Sunny and Karamala Areesh Kumar

Throughout history, water has been strategically employed as a potent political tool in conflicts and disputes between nations. This has often involved deliberate attacks on…

Historic Rights or Historic Wrongs: The Nile Dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia

Oct 12, 2024 | Reporter Ethiopia

The Nile River is a vital resource for millions in Eastern Africa, and its management has been shaped by historical agreements established during British colonial…

Koshtepa Canal in Afghanistan Could Lead to Water Shortages in Uzbekistan

Oct 10, 2024 | UZ Daily

Koshtepa irrigation canal in Afghanistan may lead to significant water shortages in Uzbekistan, potentially causing large-scale job losses in the agricultural sector. This was highlighted…

How the Russian-Ukrainian War Is Starving African Economies

Oct 10, 2024 | Kenya Times

In 2024, as the world grapples with the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, African nations find themselves at the epicenter of a growing food security crisis. With…

Women are Leading the Way to Protect Some of the World’s Most Important Forests

Oct 9, 2024 | Isabela Barriga
Global Forest Watch

Across the world’s forests, women are not only dedicated stewards of these vital ecosystems but also trailblazers in reshaping the landscape of gender equality in…

These 5 ‘Post-Truth’ Claims Are Fuelling the Water Wars in Australia

Oct 9, 2024 | Quentin Grafton and John Williams

The contest between truth and post-truth matters when trying to solve big public policy questions. One of these questions is how to sustainably manage water…

Laos: New Data on Agent Orange Use during the US’s Secret War in Laos

Oct 7, 2024 | Philipp Barthelme

During the Vietnam War, the US military sprayed more than 74 million litres of Agent Orange and other herbicides, causing detrimental and ongoing environmental and…

In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Oct 4, 2024 | RANE

In the Middle East and North Africa, worsening water stress due to years of bad governance, security vacuums and population growth will increasingly make water…

The Environmental Costs of the Escalating Middle East Crisis

Oct 3, 2024 | Jonathan Walsh, Rob Watson, Eoghan Darbyshire and Doug Weir

A year of escalating conflict across the Middle East has had a range of direct and reverberating consequences for the region’s environment. In this post…

Detecting Yemen’s Informal Dumpsites from Space

Oct 1, 2024 | Hanna Schulten

The war in Yemen has profoundly affected solid waste management, increasing open dumping and with it risks to the environment and public health. In this…

Colombia Adds Nature to the Mix with Its $40-Billion Energy Transition Plan

Oct 1, 2024 | Sebastian Rodriguez

Colombia has launched a new $40-million investment plan for its energy transition, aiming to move away from oil and gas production, partly through pursuing green…

Climate, Conflict and Aid: Three-Pronged Solution Needed for Mozambique

Oct 1, 2024 | Isel Ras and Dave Husy

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs delivers lifesaving assistance, including protection services, shelter, food aid, treatment for acute malnutrition and emergency obstetric…

Extreme Weather Is Disrupting Lives in Southern Africa: New Policies Are Needed to Keep the Peace

Oct 1, 2024 | Gracsious Maviza and Siyaxola Gadu

Over the past decades, heavy and more frequent rainfall and dry spells in southern Africa have caused loss and damage to agriculture, livestock, the energy…

Long Term Climate Resilience: A Pathway to Stabilize Somalia

Sep 30, 2024 | Ananya Balakrishnan and Cesare M. Scartozzi

Somalia is trapped in a cycle where climate impacts—droughts, floods, and erratic weather patterns—fuel displacement, poverty, and conflict. With agriculture and pastoralism at the core…

Securing the Arctic: The Dilemma of Resources, Climate, and Stability

Sep 26, 2024 | Juni Moltubak

The Arctic region is transforming, both physically and politically, with far-reaching global consequences. While military security has been the main concern recently, the high north…

Report Release - Planet on the Move: Reimagining Conservation at the Intersection of Migration, Environmental Change and Conflict

Sep 25, 2024 | Philip Maxson and Kendall Trelegan

In June 2024, the IUCN's CEESP Task Force on Migration, Environmental Change, and Conflict released the report "Planet on the move: Reimagining conservation at the…

Myanmar’s Junta: Failed Governance in the Face of Nature’s Wrath

Sep 23, 2024 | James Shwe

As the floodwaters of Typhoon Yagi recede in Myanmar, they reveal more than just physical devastation. They underscore an ancient belief ingrained in Chinese and…