There is growing consensus that conflict and climate are linked in complex ways and that these dynamics operate transnationally. Climate change exacerbates conflict vulnerabilities across and within borders. Climate mitigation and adaptation efforts have conflict implications locally, regionally, and internationally. Conversely, peacebuilding interventions can both reduce and inflame issues around climate change. Despite widespread acknowledgement of these dynamics, there is a substantial gap in research that explores the effectiveness of peacebuilding strategies working at the intersection of climate stresses and conflict. We know that conflict and climate are interconnected, but what do we do about it?

XCEPT’s new Conflict and Climate research stream addresses this gap with practical, policy-facing research. We focus on the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to:

  • Reduce conflict and build peace in pursuing climate mitigation – actions taken to reduce global emissions;
  • Reduce conflict and build peace in pursuing climate adaptation – actions taken to increase communities’ resilience to a changing climate;
  • Ensure environmental and climate issues are considered in conflict stabilisation policies.

XCEPT’s approach

As XCEPT launches its Conflict and Climate research stream, two key initiatives shape its early direction:

Dr Tobias Ide, Murdoch University – XCEPT’s Conflict and Climate Research Fellow – heads this stream, developing and supporting our research agenda, leading stakeholder engagement, and building XCEPT’s  Conflict and Climate research community.

In addition to shaping XCEPT’s research agenda, Tobias’ research project aims to broaden understandings of the implications of climate change mitigation on conflict drivers, including the mining of minerals necessary for the green transition. Using a unique multi-method design that combines data from case studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, it aims to help policymakers and practitioners act in a just and conflict-sensitive way.

The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) is the recipient of XCEPT’s first Conflict and Climate Research Award – our largest award to date. Their research focuses on two Sahel cross-border regions afflicted by intense and interrelated violent conflicts and vulnerability to climate change – the Lake Chad Basin and the Liptako-Gourma Region. NUPI’s research examines locally driven regional stabilisation efforts by scrutinising whether and how such efforts have contributed to preventing and managing climate change-related peace and security risks.