Blogs & Opinions

Toxic Fallout from Gulf War ‘Could Last Decades’

Mar 30, 2026 | Mohammed El-Said

Environmental experts are warning that the ongoing war in the Gulf region is likely to leave a legacy of severe and long-lasting environmental damage, extending…

The Iran War's Hidden Casualty

Mar 29, 2026 | Binoy Kampmark

Truth may well be the first casualty of war, but death, injury and environmental degradation are bound to be keeping up in the hit lists.…

Afghanistan Pursues Energy Independence through Water, Solar Investments

Mar 29, 2026 | Bakhtar News Agency

The Insecurity Triad (II): Banditry — The Rural Siege and the Weaponisation of the Harvest

Mar 29, 2026 | Max Amuchie

There is a different kind of silence in the countryside. It is not the anxious quiet of a ringing phone, but the heavy stillness of…

Oil Wars: Speeding the Transition to Renewable Energy

Mar 26, 2026 | John K. White

One simple observation since the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28 is that solar panel prices have not risen, staying at around $300 for…

Energy Security Is National Security: Fixing America’s Incoherent Energy Policies

Mar 24, 2026 | Greg Pollock and Joshua Busby

For years, Republican politicians advocated an “all of the above” energy strategy, supporting continued oil and gas production while also scaling up renewable energy. Though…

Hydro War Crime

Mar 24, 2026 | Naseer Memon

Water is as precious a commodity as oil for countries of the Middle East. In the absence of freshwater resources, the region relies heavily on…

Chagos and the Militarization of the Indian Ocean

Mar 23, 2026 | Nitya Labh

The geopolitics of the wider Indian Ocean have undergone tremendous shifts over the past few decades, as traditional maritime powers like the United Kingdom, the…

Beyond the Ban: Why Mining Reform Is Nigeria’s Next Peacebuilding Frontier

Mar 23, 2026 | Ephraim Emah

Nigeria’s mining sector is often described in binary terms: to some, it is a sleeping economic giant, which is key to diversifying a mono-product economy,…

South Sudan’s Resilience Trap: The Dark Side of Resilience and the Way out

Mar 23, 2026 | Joe Mabor

South Sudanese are among the most resilient people on earth, as demonstrated during the twenty-one-year war of liberation that led to independence in 2011, and…

Where Water Security Begins

Mar 22, 2026 | Tetiana Tevkun

Climate change is making water one of the most vulnerable resources in the world. Even regions that were considered water‑secure just a few decades ago…

Unrecognised Environmental Costs of Conflict

Mar 20, 2026 | Syed Mohammad Ali

When assessing the costs of war, attention is typically directed toward human suffering, economic loss and geopolitical instability. Yet another major cost often goes unnoticed:…

ENMOD: Dodo, Dormant or Presciently Divine?

Mar 18, 2026 | Vanessa Murphy and Helen Obregón Gieseken

At the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in October 2024, Nigeria and European Union Member States pledged, among other things,…

Don’t Lock in Future Fossil Fuel Insecurity in Response to the Iran War

Mar 18, 2026 | Grace Alexander

The Israeli-US war with Iran is disrupting global fossil fuel supply chains and, while states increasingly recognise that renewables reduce exposure to geopolitical shocks, there…

Women-led Peacebuilding

Mar 16, 2026 | Carlito G. Galvez Jr.
Manila Bulletin

When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stood before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City last March 10, he carried with him a clear…

Iraq’s Oil Paralysis: A Self-Inflicted Wound and a Gift to Tehran

Mar 16, 2026 | Yerevan Saeed

With the Strait of Hormuz closed and oil production from Iraq’s south in free fall, Baghdad’s failure to maximize the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) is no…

Legal and Operational Issues in the Strait of Hormuz: Transit Passage Under Fire

Mar 15, 2026 | Mark Nevitt

The Strait of Hormuz — a narrow chokepoint through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil transits — is now an active conflict zone.…

In Context: Erika Weinthal and Jeannie Sowers on the Middle East Conflict’s Impacts on Civilian Infrastructure

Mar 11, 2026 | Stimson Center

Recent attacks on critical infrastructure in Iran and the Persian Gulf mark a troubling escalation in the widening regional conflict. Since the US and Israel…

After Oil, War of Water? Why Desalination Plants Are Turning into Targets in Middle East – Explained

Mar 9, 2026 | Times of India

The ongoing conflict in West Asia is entering a new phase as desalination plants, a key source of drinking water across the Gulf, begin to…

Climate, Conflict and Synthetic Fertilisers Are Sowing the Seeds of Instability

Mar 9, 2026 | Tom Nickson

As the latest rupture in an increasingly unstable geopolitical landscape, military strikes on Iran by the USA and Israel will likely increase pressure on the…

Broken Land Systems Risk Liberia’s Future

Mar 9, 2026 | New Dawn

Land disputes in Liberia have reached alarming levels, threatening not only the nation’s social stability but also its economic development prospects. The failure to address…

What International Law Says about the Israeli Strikes on Iranian Oil Facilities

Mar 9, 2026 | Saeed Bagheri

Israeli strikes targeted oil facilities near the Iranian capital of Tehran over the weekend. Two oil refineries, both of which had been attacked by Israel…

Black Rain: The Health and Environmental Risks from Tehran’s Oil Fires

Mar 9, 2026 | Conflict and Environment Observatory

Overnight on the 7-8th of March, the Israeli-US war against Iran saw a significant escalation as Israel targeted Iran’s oil infrastructure. Israel reportedly attacked more…

Why Women Are Central to Resilient Food Systems

Mar 9, 2026 | Mcallejas
CIMMYT

As climate change, economic instability, and biodiversity loss place increasing pressure on global food systems, building resilience has become an urgent priority. But resilience is…

Towards Safer Engagement with Women Peacebuilders

Mar 8, 2026 | Berghof Foundation
Berghof Foundation

This International Women’s Day, we highlight a vital but often overlooked connection: the link between women’s participation in peace processes and mental health and psychosocial…

Middle East Conflict Carries Significant Environmental and Ecological Consequences for Small States Such as Ours

Mar 6, 2026 | Stabroek News

Escalating tensions involving the United States of America, Israel, and Iran may seem geographically distant from Guyana. Yet in an interconnected global system, war in…

The Climate Briefing: The Future of Climate Diplomacy 4: Laurence Tubiana

Mar 5, 2026 | Chris Aylett and Laurence Tubiana

What are the most important changes the Paris Agreement has brought about? How should the COP process evolve? And why does geoengineering need to be…

As the Gulf Conflict Widens, So Does Its Environmental Footprint

Mar 4, 2026 | Daniel Cressey

On 28 February, the latest escalation between the US, Israel and Iran moved from threats to open strikes, plunging the Gulf region into crisis. Missiles…

Nature, Peace and Security: Too Important to Leave to Governments

Mar 2, 2026 | Doug Weir

The message is clear, the UK’s spooks have consulted with experts and concluded that global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are a serious threat to…

Addressing the Root Causes of the DRC Conflict

Feb 27, 2026 | Vuyisile J.S. Radebe

The DRC conflict has been going on for decades. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost while scores of women, children and the elderly have…