In March the the fourth UN Environment Assembly took place in Nairobi, Kenya. At the same time the sixth edition of UN Environment’s Global Environment Outlook (GEO6) was published under the theme “healthy planet, healthy people”. GEO6 assesses scientific research, analyses environmental policies, and aims to help policymakers and the public identify priority actions to achieve sustainable development. In a blog published by the Conflict and Environment Observatory, Doug Weir and Leonie Nimmo analyze the report specifically focusing on the nexus between conflict and the environment.
The blog sets GEO6 in perspective to GEO5, stipulating that while the latter was produced parallel to the Rio +20 Conference and the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, GEO6 is much clearer on the identification of the drivers of global environmental change.
“Many of these global economic, social and political/military security challenges are related to the environment in terms of causes, impacts and possible solutions.” - GEO6
Environmental policy contributes to political/military security, economic and social policy and other development activities. The relationship between the environment and social issues like hunger, consumption patterns, health, education, inequality, gender gaps, waste and sanitation, refugees, migration, conflicts and intolerance, is highlighted
“land degradation and resource scarcity and depletion, especially water, energy, food and biodiversity, have the potential to be major sources of conflict, security problems and migration” - GEO6
Climate change is identified as a threat multiplier, especially in fragile states, with a clear link to conflict. This relationship, as proposed in the report, is analyzed in more detail followed by the economic perspective, environmental costs of armed conflicts and military activities, resource conflicts and cooperation including water security, and environmental security in a future GEO7, broaching the subject of political intricacies that accompany the debate.