Environmental Peacebuilding
Focal Topic - Environmental Peacebuilding is reflected in all areas of ACP activities
What Environmental Peacebuilding means to us
Environmental peacebuilding explores the connections between the environment, climate, peace and security, and seeks approaches that simultaneously promote peace, climate stability and healthy ecological systems.
At the ACP, we seek opportunities and entry points climate change and environment can offer for peacebuilding work. Through dialogue and mediation, training and education, awareness-raising and advocacy, we work toward solutions that positively impact peace, climate stability and ecological systems.
Why is Environmental Peacebuilding important?
Mounting evidence indicates that depleting natural resources and climate impacts prolong existing conflicts and drive new conflict hotspots around the world. Environment and climate can be a cause of conflict (e.g. conflicts around scarce water) or a multiplier of conflict (e.g. weather extremes exaggerate existing conflicts and humanitarian crises related to them), closely interconnecting with other socio-economic conflict drivers.
In addition, violent conflicts can cause direct, severe environmental destruction and additional emissions, with serious consequences for all living beings. Militarisation and armament also cause high emissions and the consumption of scarce resources, thereby further exacerbating the climate crisis. At the same time, states in violent conflict situations are less able to devote themselves to environmental and climate protection, which delays or deprioritises necessary action. If no action is taken at the interface between ecosystems and conflicts, both the risk of violence and that of an accelerated climate and environmental crisis increase.
How does the ACP approach such complex challenges?
Building peace from a viewpoint of ecosystemic integrity promises to build resilient and adaptive societies whilst also mitigating climate change and contributing to healthy and sustainable ecosystems.
At the ACP, we see Environmental Peacebuilding as a growing and dynamic area of research and practice that include:
- Integrating climate and environmental concerns into all aspects of peacebuilding work, and using environmental peacebuilding as a tool, e.g., for conflict analysis and peacebuilding activities, to address conflicts holistically and render interventions more effective.
- Recognizing climate change, environmental degradation, and competition over natural resources not just as contributors to conflict but also as opportunities for peacebuilding to encourage cooperation over conflict.
- Supporting ecosystem protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource use, while considering the interdependence of social and ecological systems.
- Generating outcomes that promote both sustainable peace and healthy environments.
- Working to prevent any unintended negative consequences of peacebuilding activities on the climate and environment, e.g. by using Do No Harm approaches and conflict sensitivity.
- Intersecting with broader topics related to peace and security, sustainable development, and humanitarian efforts.
Examples of Environmental Peacebuilding
In our work, Environmental Peacebuilding is the focus of and integrated in various projects. In the field of Capacity Building, we provide training on Environmental Peacebuilding for international participants, such as a IPT specialization course on environmental peacebuilding. We also include environmental issues in capacity building in the field of humanitarian assistance, development, and peace, among others in West Africa (HAWA - ACP). In the KIRAS project EnviPeace, we are developing mixed-reality scenarios for trainings of peacebuilding practitioners working in conflict areas affected by climate change and environmental degradation.
In Peace Education, we highlight climate and environmental topics and their connection to peace. In our project Homeland Earth, for example, we promote planetary awareness, elaborating the interconnectedness of our planet in relation to environmental and other issues, underlining the global goals like e.g. the UN Agenda 2030. As part of our "Peace Weeks" project, we also offer workshops in the forest around the peace castle, showing our students that not only we humans, but also “flora and fauna” can be in conflict and discuss that healing is part of peace building efforts as well.
In the field of International Conflict Resolution, we facilitated a high-level Dialogue Project in the region of the Persian Gulf, including the topics of Water Scarcity & changing hydrological cycles, its security implications and regional cooperation possibilities. In Austria, we promote participatory approaches and offer mediation support in conflicting environmental issues on a local level. By engaging within Austria and internationally, we acknowledge the global interconnectedness of climate and environmental problems as well as solutions, whilst honouring local action.
We also include Environmental Peacebuilding in our Advocacy and Public Relations work, stressing the urgency and importance of the environment, climate, peace and security nexus with our partners in Austria, the European Union and beyond. Our approach goes beyond securitization and simplifying the role of climate and environment in conflict contexts. Instead, we advocate for a holistic, intersectional and integrated approach. In conferences, such as the annual Austrian Forum For Peace, we bring Environmental Peacebuilding on the table and discuss related issues with practitioners and policymakers.
Reports & Policy Briefs on Environmental Peacebuilding