Linking Adaptation and Peacebuilding

There is growing scientific consensus that climate change and conflict are linked and that climate change poses complex risks to building and sustaining peace. Emerging findings from development programming confirm this. A number of contextual factors such as livelihood and food security, natural resources governance, state legitimacy and effectiveness, migration, social cohesion and marginalisation are decisive in shaping these climate-fragility risks.

This Research Paper makes a first attempt at highlighting best practices and learnings from existing peacebuilding and climate change adaptation programs. It is based on evaluations of past projects and emerging lessons from ongoing projects, including USAID’s and Mercy Corps’ work in the Horn of Africa, the GIZ in the Philippines, the UK-funded “Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters” (BRACED), and the EC- funded UNEP climate change and security project in Sudan and Nepal. Based on this analysis, it makes some recommendations to advance future integrated programming in this field.

For further information, please visit the Climate Security Expert Network (CSEN) website.