CEOBS was launched in 2018 with the primary goal of increasing awareness and understanding of the environmental and derived humanitarian consequences of conflicts and military activities. In this, we seek to challenge the idea of the environment as a ‘silent victim of armed conflict’. Download our ‘About us‘ summary.
We are driven by the principle that access to reliable environmental information is vital in relation to armed conflicts. Indeed openness and transparency are critical when the environment becomes politicised.
CEOBS builds on six years of research and policy work by its predecessor the Toxic Remnants of War Project. The Project sought to identify new opportunities for collecting data on environmental harm and the human suffering it causes, and the means through which data could be used to inform greater protection for the environment, and for those who depend on it, before during and after armed conflicts. CEOBS’ work extends beyond the environmental consequences of war to also consider the role of environmental factors in triggering or driving insecurity.
We intend for this website, which aggregates information on multiple conflicts and topics, to be a resource for policy-makers, researchers, activists and journalists interested in the environmental dimensions of armed conflicts.
We work with international organisations, civil society, academia and communities to:
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Monitor and publicise data on the environmental dimensions of armed conflicts;
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Develop tools to improve data collection and sharing;
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Monitor and scrutinise developments in law and policy that could contribute towards the reduction of humanitarian and environmental harm.
CEOBS’ overarching aim is to ensure that the environmental consequences of armed conflicts and military activities are properly documented and addressed, and that those affected are assisted.
Partnerships
CEOBS works in partnership with a range of organisations that share our aims, recent and current research partners include:
Harvard Law School, King’s College London, Norwegian People’s Aid, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Leeds and Scientists for Global Responsibility.
Interested in collaboration, contact us to discuss potential opportunities.
Donors
We are grateful to the following donors for supporting our work:
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Minor Foundation for Major Challenges, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Knowledge Management Fund, the British Ecological Society and LUSH.
Our status and networks
CEOBS is registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales – number 1174115, and is accredited to the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) of the UN Environment Programme.
We are a founding member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association, a Participating Organisation of the Group on Earth Observations, and members of the European Citizen Science Association, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the International Network on Explosive Weapons, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Yorkshire Space Hub.
Our privacy policy is available here.
Staff
Doug Weir, Research and Policy Director
Doug contributes to all of our workstreams and oversees the direction of our research projects, policies and public engagement.
Doug has undertaken research and advocacy on the environmental legacy of armed conflicts and military activities since 2005. He has contributed to a wide range of domestic, regional and international initiatives on conflict and the environment, with a particular focus on the work of the UN Environment Assembly and on the progressive development of the legal framework protecting the environment in relation to armed conflicts. He holds degrees in Geology and Print Journalism from Manchester and Sheffield universities, and is a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Geography at King’s College London.
Linsey Cottrell, Environmental Policy Officer
Linsey's work covers humanitarian disarmament, which includes how environmental safeguarding can be implemented and improved across humanitarian mine action.
Linsey is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and worked in the environmental consultancy sector for more than 20 years, before joining CEOBS. She has a diverse range of experience in land quality, conventional and non-conventional contaminants, due diligence auditing and environmental risk assessment. She has a BSc in Chemical Sciences and MSc in Environmental Pollution and Control from the University of Leeds, a Post Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management and Sustainability and is qualified as a Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC). Linsey has also been a Trustee for the UK’s Institution of Environmental Sciences since 2016.
Dr Eoghan Darbyshire, Researcher
Eoghan uses the ecosystem of open source information, from earth observation data to social media reports, to robustly research, monitor, characterise and communicate the environmental dimensions of conflict.
Eoghan has an academic background in air pollution research, conducting in-situ and remote sensing measurements in order to characterise rapidly changing environments – in Delhi, the Arctic, the Arabian Peninsula and the Amazon rainforest. He holds a PhD in atmospheric physics from the University of Manchester, where he also completed an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and worked as a post-doctoral researcher. He also holds an MRes degree in Physics of the Earth and Atmosphere, awarded by the University of Leeds.
Leonie Nimmo, Project Coordinator and Research Associate
Leonie is CEOBS’ Project Co-ordinator, ensuring that processes and teams function effectively, whilst being responsible for managing the governance of the organisation on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
Leonie is also a Research Associate, producing and editing web and other content. Leonie joined CEOBS in January 2019 from Ethical Consumer Research Association, where she was a Director, consultant and research manager. She has a degree in Development Studies with Economics from the University of Leeds and an MSc in International Natural Resource Development from the University of Wales, Bangor.