Climate, Environment & Conflict

We work to address the interconnected challenges of armed conflict, climate change, and environmental degradation in fragile and conflict-affected regions. Through research, advocacy, and local partnerships, we document these compounding impacts on communities affected by wars and insecurity, and promote policies to address them, strengthening resilience and environmental peacebuilding.

Climate change is most severe in conflict-affected areas

Climate change affects people worldwide on a daily basis, but its impact is most severe in fragile and conflict-affected areas. The combined effects of armed conflict and the climate crisis are detrimental to people’s lives, livelihoods, and prospects for sustainable development. Of the 25 most climate-vulnerable countries, 18 are conflict-affected. In turn, the climate crisis can spur further tensions, posing threats to human security, as well as serious regional and international peace and security risks.

PAX operates in regions where the climate crisis contributes to growing inequalities and vulnerabilities, exacerbated by conflict-linked environmental degradation, weak governance and inequitable natural resource management, including in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Palestine, the Sahel region, Syria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen. Over the past decade, PAX has documented these impacts on the interlinkage of conflict, climate and the environment through its reports that utilize remote sensing and open-source investigations, and advocated for stronger international norms to prevent and mitigate them in relevant multilateral forums, including the UN Security Council and UN Environment Assembly

PAX’s received the UN Environment/UNOCHA Green Star Award (2017) for its work on Environmental Emergencies, and the Al Moumin Award for Thought Leadership in Environmental Peacebuilding (2023).

Advancing the International Environment, Peace and Security Agenda

Recommendations for the UN and Beyond

Download the report

Research

PAX has produced numerous reports on climate and environmental footprint of armed conflicts, as well as the challenges facing conflict-affected countries, including:

Policy brief on addressing Syria’s water security challenges in early recovery (2025)
Report on the armed conflicts’ contribution to methane emissions, examining cases of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya (2024)
In-depth study on compounded conflict and climate impacts on water insecurity in western Syria “Thirst for Peace” (2024)
Human Security Survey exploring civilian’s perception of climate and environmental dimensions of insecurity in Iraq (2024)
Documentation of reverberating environmental and public health risks from the war in Gaza, coupled with the climate-related challenges: “Uninhabitable” (2023)
Documentation of climate, natural hazards and risks to South Sudan’s oil infrastructure “Toxic Floods?” (2023)
In-depth scientific study on conflict-linked deforestation and potential climate impacts in Syria “Axed and Burned” (2023)
Study on climate and conflict impacts on pastoralists population in Syria ”We fear more war, we fear more drought” (2022)
Documentation of conflict- and climate-linked water scarcity in Syria “Killing the Khabur” (2021)
Report on growing water insecurity in Iraq “Iraq’s Waning Water Resources in 2021”.

For more research on conflict-linked environmental damage, visit the Environment, Peace and Security program webpage.

Bridging environmental and climate action with peacebuilding

PAX has been spearheading innovative and comprehensive approaches to address the environment, climate, peace and security nexus. Programme-wise, PAX has been working to support conflict sensitivity in climate and environmental interventions, as well as the inclusion of environmental considerations in peacebuilding initiatives. This includes projects on biodiversity conservation by ex-combatants and vulnerable youth in Colombia, supporting participation of local pastoralists in the national border demarcation process at the borderlands of South Sudan and Kenya, or raising security concerns around gold mining and nature protection in the DRC around gold mining and nature protection in the DRC.

Together with UNEP and partner organizations, PAX has launched an online catalogue of Nature-based Solutions for Peace and Security – a selection of projects from around the world that leverage the co-benefits of environmental and climate action for peace and security. This database contains good practices, lessons learned and other useful resources that can help inform decision-makers and program managers when designing climate and environmental security interventions in fragile or conflict-affected settings.

Advocacy for more effective international policies

PAX is active on the multilateral level, including in various UN platforms, where it aims to strengthen international policies dealing with environmental impacts and climate risks in conflict-affected and at-risk settings. PAX advocates for better protection of the environment in armed conflicts to prevent and minimize the harm, including the wars’ climate impacts, as well as for more effective response measures to environmental and climate security risks. PAX representatives spoke several times at the UN, including to the Security Council, as well as initiated and provided input to numerous international discussions on the topic.

Furthermore, PAX has been promoting a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to addressing environmental and climate risks within the UN system through an Environment, Peace and Security (EPS) agenda. This envisages the appointment of Climate Advisors in UN peacekeeping missions and the cross-agency Climate Security Mechanism, as well as integration of climate and environmental consideration into UN planning and assessments.

In the international environmental forums, such as UN Environmental Assembly, UN Climate Change Conference and UN Biodiversity Conference, PAX has been calling for more targeted actions to help conflict-affected countries address the compounding effects of conflict, environmental degradation, and the climate crisis. As part of the international Community of Practice on Environment, Climate, Conflict, and Peace (ECCP), PAX has been involved in developing policy recommendations around the UNFCCC forums and endorses Common Principles for Effective Climate Finance and Action for Relief, Recovery, and Peace.

Empowering local environmental and climate activists

Building capacity for local partners is part of PAX’s work to support grassroot civil society actions to address environmental and climate challenges. Hence, PAX is providing trainings on the use of remote sensing and open-source investigations on environmental and climate issues for local groups working on these topics in countries such as Syria and Iraq. PAX led on the multi-annual project on Strengthening Collective Environment Action in Iraq, centered around community-driven and evidence-based advocacy on climate change and environmental degradation.