Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2.2.5 Environmental peace building
The whole idea of immanent resource conflict has glossed over the societal capacity
to reach solutions. Wolf et al. (2005), for example, have convincingly shown that
there have been very few 'water wars', while an impressive database of treaties and
agreements demonstrates a tendency towards cooperation and what has been called
'institutional resilience', the capacity of institutions to cope with tensions about water
and water scarcity. Similarly, Ohlsson (1999) has argued that resource scarcity is offset
by adaptive capacity.
In response to the often-stressed conflictive aspect of the environment, it also
has been presented as a conflict resolution and peace building opportunity, especially
with regard to so-called renewable natural resources (such as water, fishing resources,
forests, etc.). After listing a number of changes in the nature of current water disputes,
Wolf et al. (2005: 94-95) argue that:
On the other hand, water is a productive pathway for confidence building, cooper-
ation and arguably conflict prevention, even in particularly contentious basins. In
some cases, water offers one of the few paths for dialogue to navigate an otherwise
heated bilateral conflict. In politically unsettled regions, water is often essential
to regional development negotiations that serve as de facto conflict prevention
strategies. Environmental cooperation - especially cooperation in water resources
management - has been identified as a potential catalyst for peace making.
Conca et al. (2005: 149) elaborate on this notion of environmental coopera-
tion. They assert that: “As a peace building tool, the environment offers some useful,
perhaps even unique qualities that lend themselves to building peace and transform-
ing conflict.'' In particular, they pinpoint the fact that “environmental challenges
ignore political boundaries, require a long-term perspective, encourage local and
non-governmental participation, and extend community building beyond polarizing
economic linkages.'' Ecological and other types of interdependency strengthen this
potential for collaboration.
Carius (2007: 61) distinguishes between three partly overlapping categories of
ecological peace initiatives: activities to prevent conflicts directly related to the envi-
ronment; attempts to initiate and sustain a dialogue on trans-boundary environmental
cooperation between parties to a conflict; and initiatives that seek a lasting peace
by promoting conditions for sustainable development. The first category is usually
dealt with by reducing the pressure on the resources and institutional mechanisms, the
second by starting dialogues and establishing cooperation on shared environmental
challenges, and the third one by reaching long-term sustainable solutions and man-
agement regimes (Carius 2007: 61-63). Carius elaborates on the complexities of such
initiatives and the need to embed them in larger economic, political and institutional
frameworks. He maintains that we lack sufficient knowledge and appropriate condi-
tions to discuss their impact, and recommends a systematic and comparative analysis
of previous case studies in order to engage in a constructive dialogue with policy-
makers to make environmental peacemaking more effective (2007: 72). Examples
of environmental cooperation include trans-boundary reserves or trans-frontier parks
and shared river basin initiatives. Van de Giessen (2005) describes the experiences in
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