Conflict, environmental threats and disasters, climate change, and food insecurity are often considered separate issues with separate solutions. These issues are, in actuality, all directly related and it is essential to remove the divisions between these fields to collaboratively create solutions.
There is often a division between the environment, natural resource management, and climate, versus conflict and peacebuilding. According to Carl Bruch of the Environmental Law Institute, many peacebuilders have historically viewed environmental issues as an afterthought; to be considered after achieving peace. Similarly, many environmental workers fail to understand the nuances of conflict and peacebuilding. They seek to urgently pursue large-scale projects, such as those involving renewable energy, to combat carbon emissions. In many cases, they neglect to understand the potential negative impacts this could have on conflict-fragile countries completely reliant on fossil fuels.
Yet, this view has changed dramatically in recent years. The war in Ukraine has clearly shown the direct relationship between conflict and food security. The war constrained supply chains and exacerbated food inflation in developing countries. The global hunger crisis that resulted is further compounded by climate shocks that affect food distribution and transport, crop yields, and livestock.
Development and aid programs must work to incorporate thorough conflict analyses before conducting their work. According to Ted Holmquist of Mercy Corps, these analyses were originally seen as only conducted in the realm of the peacebuilding practitioner, but if food security and other development programs fail to understand the dynamics of a conflict, it can exacerbate tensions. For instance, if local communities perceive an aid program as being too closely linked to one side of the conflict, it can become mistrusted and eventually expelled. If food distribution programs are inequitable and fail to reach all communities, they can instigate divisions between communities. Aid programs must hire a balanced staff that represents the local population and incorporate community-based approaches. It can be quite difficult to meet these requirements during emergency situations, thus it is important to consider the minimum standards of participatory approaches and conflict analyses that are needed to promote peace.
Experts discussed these findings during the session “Breaking Barriers, Building Connections: How to Achieve Synergy Between the Fields of Peacebuilding, Climate Change, Environment, and Food Security,” during the 10th PeaceCon Conference held in Washington DC during May 3-5, 2023.
Panelists:
Carl Bruch, Environmental Law Institute
Ted Holmquist, Mercy Corps
Celestine Procter, Alliance for Peacebuilding
Tia Savarese
Tia Savarese is a recent graduate of the George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with concentrations in Conflict Resolution and Security Policy and a minor in Spanish. She serves as the Commissioning Editor and Social Media Manager for Peace News Network while residing in Washington, DC. Before joining PNN, she interned for a communication firm, a think tank, and the federal government.
