Policy Briefs and Reports Books Journals

Policy Briefs on Climate Change and Conflict

Climate Change and Conflict

Afghanistan’s Climate Crisis: A Call for Decentralised and Inclusive Finance

Policy Brief  No.221 - May, 2025 • By Assem Mayar

This policy brief, based on new data and analysis published by the author in the Afghanistan Analysts Network, outlines Afghanistan’s escalating economic losses due to climate change and mounting adaptation costs, institutional constraints, and possible financing pathways. Fragile governance, limited fiscal space, and international non-recognition have restricted access to climate finance, forcing the country to rely on declining humanitarian aid. It argues that, without targeted international action, Afghanistan may become a harbinger of climate injustice and systemic failure in fragile states. The brief concludes with seven policy recommendations.

Climate Change and Conflict

Climate Change in Pasifika Relational Itulagi

Report  No.212 - March, 2025 • By Upolu Lumā Vaai

This report will offer an alternative way of approaching the climate crisis from a Pasifika relational itulagi. It offers the story of Pasifika communities as they understand the climate crisis through the lens of their own ways of knowing and being and why such is critical to reforming climate policies and strategies. It will provide some examples of how communities deal with issues and crises at the communities-based level from an ethical and relational itulagi, and also highlights why spirituality has to be the key to the climate discourse. When we miss spirituality, we miss understanding in depth the integrated multidimensional structure of communities, which could consequently lead to a misrepresentation of the Pasifika household in climate discourse.

Climate Change and Conflict

Climate Change, International Migration and Self-Determination: Lessons from Tuvalu

Policy Brief  No.208 - January, 2025 • By Carol Farbotko

This policy brief specifically examines two international migration pathways for Tuvaluans: one forthcoming and one proposed, for how well they align with Tuvalu’s goal of ensuring Tuvaluan self-determination and sovereignty in-situ. Climate change poses a habitability risk to Tuvalu associated with sea-level rise, A forthcoming migration pathway, between Tuvalu and Australia under the new Tuvalu-Australia Falepili Union Treaty is partially in harmony with Tuvaluan sovereignty. The second, the suggestion by Rising Nations Initiative to relocate the entire national population of Tuvalu does not harmonise well with the goal of maintaining Tuvaluan sovereignty in place. By way of conclusion, the paper will put forward a recommendation for international partners to focus on helping climate vulnerable communities manage their habitability risk, rather than prioritise movement away in contravention of sovereignty and self-determined visions of a communities’ own future.

Climate Change and Conflict

Sustaining, Nurturing, Shaping: Utilising Conflict Transformation Processes for Overcoming the Climate Crisis

Report  No.198 - August, 2024 • By Rebecca Froese, Melanie Hussak, Dani*el*a Pastoors and Jürgen Scheffran

This report addresses the positive connections between sustainable, anti-hegemonic peace and climate justice. The interconnectedness of climate change and conflicts is manifold and increasingly being addressed in politics and research. Necessary social-ecological transformations are accompanied by conflicts which must be addressed constructively. At the same time, obstacles such as (colonial) structures of domination, power, and inequality must be overcome. In this report, we combine climate policy strategies with civil conflict transformation and outline ideas towards shaping a sustained nurturing of the social-ecological transformation.

Climate Change and Conflict

Climate Change's Intangible Loss and Damage: Exploring the Journeys of Pacific Youth Migrants

Report  No.196 - • By Ria Shibata, Sylvia Frain, Iemaima Vaai

The report analyses the findings from a series of Talanoa discussions with young Pasifika migrants living in diaspora communities across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and USA. It narrates the personal journeys of these young individuals as they cope with the pain of separation from their ancestral lands, and navigate their journey to preserve their identity, dignity, social cohesion and selfhood. The experiences of these youth migrants highlight some of the challenges related to intangible losses and damages that host countries and diaspora communities could address if they are to aid future climate-related migration effectively and assist the integration of migrants into their new societies.