
Environmental degradation and the mismanagement of natural resources can fuel conflict between and within states, contribute to poverty and state failure, and leave communities more vulnerable to disasters.
At the same time, environmental issues can provide an opportunity to foster dialogue and cooperation over shared interests, reducing tensions between conflicting parties.
Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions: Climate change and the risk of violent conflict in the Middle East
English (PDF - 4.4 mb) - Hebrew (PDF - 1 mb)
In a region already considered the world's most water scarce and where, in many places, demand for water already outstrips supply, climate models are predicting a hotter, drier and less predictable climate in the Middle East. Climate change threatens to reduce the availability of scarce water resources, increase food insecurity, hinder economic growth and lead to large scale population movements. This could hold serious implications for peace in the region.
This report examines whether the legacy of conflict in the Levant undermines the ability of the region to adapt to climate change, outlines the threats that climate change could pose to regional security, and suggests strategies that can be pursued for peace and sustainable development despite a changing climate.
Climate Change and Security in Africa
English (PDF - 4 mb) - Français (PDF - 3.6 mb)
Climate change–by redrawing global maps of water availability, food security, disease prevalence and coastal boundaries–could potentially increase forced migration, raise tensions and trigger new conflicts.
Although Africa is the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, it is almost universally seen as the continent most at risk of climate-induced conflict due to its reliance on climate-dependent sectors (such as rain-fed agriculture) and its history of resource, ethnic and political conflicts. In this report, prepared for the Nordic-African Foreign Ministers Forum in Copenhagen in March, 2009, IISD examines the threats that climate change could pose to security for the continent, as well as strategies for peace and development in a changing climate.
IISD believes that the mismanagement of our natural resources lies at the heart of many conflicts and disaster vulnerability.
Sustainable development is impossible without security. Yet since the end of the Cold War, violent conflict has killed or displaced millions of people. Meanwhile, the frequency and toll of natural disasters is on the rise, driven in part by an unpredictable and changing global climate.
It is clear that a better understanding of the links between environmental change and human security is vital for effective peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction. Conflict-sensitive conservation could both protect biodiversity and contribute to peace-building. Better environmental management may help reduce community vulnerability to floods and droughts. IISD's work seeks to understand these links and provide practical advice on how careful management of our environment and our resources can contribute to conflict avoidance and disaster resilience.
From Conflict to Peacebuilding: the role of natural resources and the environment (PDF - 1 mb) » Richard Matthew, Oli Brown, David Jensen, UNEP, February 2009 This major report, co-authored by IISD and UNEP, discusses the key linkages between environment, conflict and peacebuilding, and provides recommendations on how these can be addressed more effectively by the international community.
Climate Change and Security
Understanding how climate change could affect political and economic stability, and developing effective ways to address those problems.
Conservation and Conflict
IISD has been working with conservation and development partners around the world in an effort to better understand the links between conservation and conflict, and to offer practical recommendations to conservationists faced with conflict.
Disaster Resilience
IISD's work in this area focuses on the ways in which communities can become more resilient to natural hazards like earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
Natural Resources, Livelihoods and Security
IISD has been examining how access to and management of natural resources affect livelihoods and how this, in turn, contributes to conflict and/or peace.
Environment and Security Policy
IISD has been providing practical recommendations to decision-makers on how better environmental management could reduce the risk of conflict.
Emerging Environment and Security Issues
IISD does work in a number of emerging areas that, by themselves, do not constitute programs of research. These include zoonotic diseases, climate change in Sudan and emerging environment and security issues in China.