AREU | Still water runs deep: Illicit poppy and the transformation of the deserts of southwest Afghanistan
A call to rethink how agricultural areas converted from desert to poppy production in Afghanistan are viewed.
Sudd Institute | Climate change and conflict in South Sudan
A paper examining the relationship between climate change and conflict in South Sudan. Some of the important factors the paper highlights include the competition for territory usually based on the land’s fertility.
New Security Beat | A Ukrainian Stand-Off: The Toxic Consequences of Armed Conflict in Donbass
Conflicts like the ones in the Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria show how wartime damage to the environment can have long-term consequences for countries as they seek to recover.
ILC | First report on protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts by Marja Lehto, Special Rapporteur
While previous reports by the ILC adopted a temporal approach, broadly addressing environmental protection before, during and after conflicts, the new report delves into the obligations on states to protect the environment during situations of occupation and proposes three new draft principles.
Mongabay | Open destruction in the Colombian Amazon after FARC’s exit
In 2015, 24,142 hectares of forest were lost, which is almost 20% of Colombia’s total forested area in that year. The main driving forces of the deforestation are the expansion of the agricultural industry to make room for cattle, along with the commercialization of wood, illicit crops, and illegal mining.
IPI | The Environmental Impact of UN Peace Operations
This report looks at the environmental impact of peace operations and how the UN has responded, including through policies and guidelines, dedicated staff, and training material. In particular, it assesses the challenges the Department of Field Support faces in implementing its Environment Strategy.
Why we have launched the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)
Welcome to our new website and new organisational identity, this blog explains why we have launched The Conflict and Environment Observatory after six years as the Toxic Remnants of War Project, and what we hope to achieve.
The (other) war against whales
There is a war being waged against whales, and it is being fought with noise, and it has left scientists and conservationists concerned about the potential impact of military noise on the wider marine ecosystem as a whole. Are naval activities bound by environmental norms, or will the damage continue in the name of national security?