Course Description

Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace is an 8-week intermediate-level course offered by SDGAcademyX that delves into the complex relationships between natural resources, the environment, and violent conflicts. This comprehensive course explores the critical role that environmental factors play in geopolitics and human security, while also examining how these resources can be leveraged for peacebuilding efforts. By focusing on the emerging field of environmental peacebuilding, students will gain a deep understanding of how to manage natural resources sustainably and equitably to promote peace and stability in fragile contexts.

What Students Will Learn

• The impact of natural resources and the environment on conflict dynamics
• How conflicts affect natural resources and environmental systems
• The potential of natural resources and the environment in supporting peacebuilding efforts
• Techniques for assessing and addressing the relationship between natural resources and conflict
• Strategies for implementing environmental peacebuilding across the conflict lifecycle
• The role of governance, transparency, and conflict sensitivity in resource management
• International laws and tools for addressing resource conflicts
• Post-conflict environmental assessments and recovery strategies

Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites for this course. However, a basic understanding of environmental studies, international relations, or conflict studies would be beneficial. The course is designed for intermediate-level learners, including professionals, advanced undergraduates, and graduate students interested in the intersection of environmental issues and peacebuilding.

Course Coverage

• Evolution of environment, peace, and conflict linkages
• Conceptual framework for environmental peacebuilding
• Natural resources as drivers of violent conflict
• Climate stress and its impact on conflict and peacebuilding
• Governance, resilience, and transparency in resource management
• Environmental impacts of armed conflict
• International law protecting the environment during armed conflict
• UN Security Council tools for addressing resource conflicts
• Natural resources in peace agreements
• Post-conflict environmental assessments and recovery
• Rebuilding environmental governance
• Empowering women in natural resource management and peacebuilding
• Spatial planning and reconstruction in post-conflict settings

Target Audience

• Peace and security specialists seeking to expand their knowledge of natural resources
• Natural resource experts aiming to design conflict-sensitive programs
• Sustainable development practitioners working in fragile contexts with weak governance
• Private-sector actors involved in resource management in conflict-prone areas
• Advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in environmental peacebuilding

Real-World Applications

Graduates of this course will be equipped to:

• Develop conflict-sensitive resource management strategies in fragile contexts
• Incorporate environmental considerations into peacebuilding efforts
• Assess and mitigate environmental impacts of armed conflicts
• Design sustainable development projects that promote peace and stability
• Contribute to policy-making on environmental security and conflict resolution
• Implement international laws and tools for addressing resource conflicts
• Facilitate dialogue and cooperation around shared natural resources
• Integrate gender perspectives into environmental peacebuilding initiatives