Conflicts of different intensities and types are driven by multidimensional interactions between environmental, economic, social, and institutional/political factors. Climate change is increasingly recognized to exacerbate the risk of conflict emergence.
Via cascading and interacting effects across socio-economic and political systems, climate-related factors impact conflict dynamics in multiple ways. Hence the concept of climate security, i.e. climate change-induced security risks for human and natural systems, needs to be considered in conflict management and strategic policymaking process.
Until recently, issues around conflict and fragility have been addressed from a symptomatic rather than holistic perspective. The need to integrate climate change and food systems thinking into conflict management is progressively being acknowledged by academia, development, and governmental agencies. Understanding and systematically analyzing the root causes and the role climate security play for conflict and peace is key to plan and implement interventions addressing and preventing conflict.
Food systems, food security, and livelihoods are interconnected drivers within the pathways linking climate to conflict. Working in conflict-prone areas most affected by both, climate change and fragile institutional/political systems, CGIAR’s research on agricultural productivity, natural resource management, climate science, livelihoods and food security, youth, and gender, markets, and value chains, are essential components of the framework of climate and conflict. It, therefore, helps to build and maintain more food systems and climate-smart peace.
CGIAR's work addresses the various impact pathways, i.e. drivers linking climate and conflict, from different angles and via multidisciplinary approaches, contributing directly and indirectly to climate security and peacebuilding.
Research
To understand direct and indirect impact pathways, predict potential pathway outcomes for future scenarios to prevent conflict development, and identify, help to adapt and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable groups and areas to climate-related conflict.
Tools
Development of tools and open-source data platforms contributing to conflict prevention. These include climate-smart agriculture tools, e.g. the climate-smart village model, or climate services such as weather-based crop insurance and forecast-based financing.
Partnerships
To stimulate exchange between international and national humanitarian, research, and governmental institutions, helping to integrate research outcomes on food systems and climate science in humanitarian relief and resilience programming.
Environmental Peacebuilding
To design interventions and programs that harness synergies between climate, environment, food security, and peace by aligning objectives and incentives.
