Politics of the Olive Branch: Environmental Peacebuilding and the Nexus of Natural Resources, Violent Conflict, and Peace Nexus of Natural Resources, Violent Conflict, and Peace
Publisher: Loyola Marymount University
Author(s): Lindley Saffeir
Date: 2023
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Cooperation, Gender, Land, Renewable Resources
At the intersection of the natural environment, conflict, and peace, the study and practice of environmental peacebuilding rests on the recognition that thoughtful management and collective cooperation around environmental issues supports processes of peace and deters cycles of violent conflict. Through a) exploring the environment – conflict nexus, b) analyzing the subsequent field of climate security and c) tracing the theoretical and practical evolution of environmental peacebuilding, this project argues that a militarized approach to environmental peacebuilding is rooted within a patriarchal system that has legitimized military means as the central tool for resolving conflict, and that the field must shift to a demilitarized and decolonized framework that prioritizes Indigenous land stewardship. This paper contributes to the larger body of research that emphasizes cooperative human relationship building around
the environment and argues that effective environmental peacebuilding will require a demilitarized and decolonized framework to elicit sustainable peace.