Introduction to Environmental Peacebuilding

This course will examine the many ways in which the environment and natural resources affect political governance and can be triggers and drivers of conflict unless consciously managed to be opportunities for peacebuilding. In this course, we will focus on a number of conflicts to understand the role of the environment in the conflict spectrum. We will explore the role of particular natural resources, including water, oil and diamonds. Other topics will include climate change, refugees, and peace parks. Examples will come from particular conflicts such as those of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel/Palestine, Bolivia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and others. Finally we will focus on environmental peacebuilding opportunities as a tool for international diplomacy, cross border conservation and conflict sensitive, community driven, sustainable development capitalizing on the dynamics of shared environmental interdependence.