Climate, Peace and Conflict - Mapping Linkages and a Path Forward

The authors describe the challenges faced when connecting the climate change and peace communities, two different pillars of the global governance system. Climate action, located more commonly within the development discourse, primarily operates on long-term timelines, leveraging scientific and technological solutions, and functions within the framework of international environmental agreements. Peace support aims at conflict resolution, political stability and reconciliation in the shorter term. Both fields share the ambition to create resilient, inclusive, and prosperous societies. Integrated approaches, if carefully designed, can mitigate the contradictions and maximise the synergies between climate action and peacebuilding by addressing root causes according to the paper. 

Principles relevant to create integrated, inclusive, and context-sensitive approaches that address both climate and conflict challenges effectively Include: 

• Integration of climate and peacebuilding efforts
• Conflict-sensitive adaptation
• Inclusive and participatory approaches
• Justice-centred climate action
• Evidence-based and context-specific interventions
• Building governance and institutional capacity
• Promoting environmental peacebuilding

Examples of initiatives where the principles have been added successfully are: 

• The Great Green Wall in the Sahel that was launched in 2007.
• The facilitation of district-level climate dialogues in the Al-Anbar Governorate.
• The provision of tools to develop a shared understanding of climate-conflict dynamics in a peacebuilding network in Somalia.
• A moratorium on deforestation in the Colombian peace process. 

Reference: Breese, T., Ritzer, T., Gilmour, A. (2024). Climate, peace and conflict – mapping linkages and a path forward. Berghof Foundation.