As political support for mediation and development assistance comes under pressure, climate and environmental shocks are intensifying competition over resources and undermining the relationships dialogue depends on. Drawing on four years of implementation across Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen and the Bay of Bengal, this paper from the Weathering Risk Peace Pillar, a consortium of adelphi research, the Berghof Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the European Institute of Peace, sets out what integrated climate, environment, peace and security (CEPS) programming can deliver and how it can be achieved in practice.

After more than ten years of armed conflict, worsening environmental degradation and intensifying climate impacts are compounding the war in Yemen, straining natural resources and weakening public authorities' capacity to manage them. This impact synthesis, developed by the European Institute of Peace (EIP) and adelphi, draws on an evaluation of the Environmental Pathways for Reconciliation (EPfR) project (late 2022 to September 2026) to assess how environmental and climate security concerns can serve as an entry point for conflict resolution and reconciliation.

Farmer-herder conflicts over natural resources have claimed thousands of lives across Nigeria, with climate-driven droughts and irregular rainfall intensifying competition for land, water and grazing areas, particularly in the Middle Belt. This impact synthesis, developed by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and adelphi, draws on an outcome evaluation of the project Multi-Level Approaches to Sustainable Peace in Nigeria's Middle Belt (2022–2026) to assess how climate-sensitive peace agreements have reduced conflict across Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states.

Environmental degradation, declining fish stocks and climate change are severely affecting the Bay of Bengal, a region home to a quarter of humanity, intensifying competition over shared marine resources among littoral states. This impact synthesis, developed by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and adelphi, draws on an outcome evaluation of the Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue (2022–2026) to assess how structured regional dialogue has advanced maritime security, environmental protection and conflict prevention.

Iraq is highly vulnerable to water scarcity, soil degradation, extreme heat and increasingly frequent dust storms, pressures that strain livelihoods and essential services and can exacerbate existing conflicts in a complex security and political environment. This impact synthesis, developed by Berghof Foundation, Peace Paradigms Organisation and adelphi draws on outcome harvesting over the 2022–2026 project period to assess how research, dialogue and mediation have strengthened Iraqi capacities to address the climate-conflict nexus.

Recurrent resource-related conflicts between communities in Somalia are increasingly compounded by climate shocks, with six failed rainy seasons displacing an estimated 680,000 people in 2025 and pushing 6.6 million into food insecurity. This impact synthesis, developed by the Berghof Foundation and adelphi, draws on an outcome evaluation of the project Infrastructures for Peace and Environmental Peacebuilding in Hirshabelle and Galmudug States (2023–2026) to assess how integrating climate and environmental concerns into dialogue and mediation has supported conflict transformation.

This policy brief, based on the Gender Responsive Climate Security Assessment for Sri Lanka, examines how embedding justice and equity in climate action can address underlying grievances, strengthen social cohesion, and prevent the re-emergence of conflict in Sri Lanka. It offers gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive recommendations to advance inclusive climate adaptation, peacebuilding, and national unity.

Contributed to policy paper titled "The Future of UN Peacekeeping in a Changing Climate".

The seventh Berlin Climate and Security Conference (BCSC) 2025 explored how to navigate climate, conflict, and cooperation in a turbulent era, highlighting the urgency of integrating climate security into responses to today’s geopolitical, humanitarian and development challenges.

These project evaluations syntheses identify key highlights, lessons and recommendations from outcome evaluations from the first two project phases of the Weathering Risk Peace Pillar projects in the Bay of Bengal, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen.

The Weathering Risk synthesis report identifies nine pressing global climate security trends and opportunities based on 43 case studies, assessments, mapping exercises and scenario-based analyses produced during the first phase of Weathering Risk.

Climate finance for fragile and conflict-affected contexts continues to fall short. This practical note provides guidance for actors to deliver peace-positive climate action and climate-informed peacebuilding in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

The methodology and guidance was developed to facilitate risk-informed planning, enhance capacity for action and improve operational responses that promote climate resilience and peace. Based on two years of field testing through over twelve Weathering Risk assessments on the ground.

Faced with growing water scarcity and rising tensions, farmers, tribal leaders, community representatives and local authorities came together in July 2025 to create Iraq’s largest Water Users Association (WUA). They developed joint solutions to common challenges and activated the WUA as a locally led platform for fair water distribution, conflict prevention and inclusive decision-making, showing how dialogue and collaboration can turn climate pressure into collective action.

Yemen is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, and for the past decades political conflicts have fragmented its society, strained its economy, and caused extreme humanitarian suffering. In this context of multifaceted political, humanitarian, and environmental crises, innovative entry points for dialogue are sorely needed.

Climate change and environmental stressors are increasingly shaping human mobility patterns across borders—with significant implications for conflict dynamics, peacebuilding, and sustainable development.

The seventh edition of the Berlin Climate and Security Conference (BCSC) explored climate, conflict, and cooperation in a turbulent era. Better coordination and innovative collaborations are needed more than ever.

Rising temperatures are inflaming old tensions and creating new fault lines in fragile states. Only integrated, locally led action can build the resilience needed for lasting peace.

As the world's most devastating conflicts persist with no clear resolutions in sight, the challenges of building lasting peace grow ever more urgent.

The UNEP-led Wadi El Ku 2 catchment project used inclusive natural resource management strategies to improve agricultural productivity and foster local peace across 22 village councils, impacting 100,000 people in Sudan.

Severe climate change impacts in Iraq are reshaping its social and economic landscapes. Among those most acutely affected are farmers in the Dhi Qar and Missan governorates, where heat waves and water shortages have become more frequent, resulting in increasing levels of crop failure and livestock loss.

Since 2021, the monthly radio programme Garasho-wadaag (‘Sharing of Knowledge’) has been amplifying the voices of local peacebuilders, experts, and communities as they share knowledge on the environment, climate change, and peace in Galmudug.

Fisheries are a cornerstone of livelihoods in the Bay of Bengal, sustaining millions of people who depend on marine resources for their income and food security. However, fish stocks in the region are rapidly depleting due to overexploitation, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the far-reaching effects of climate change.

This video was produced using conference footage from BCSC 2024. Featuring insights from interviews with adelphi global experts Janani Vivekananda (Head of Programme) and Benjamin Pohl (Head of Programme).

70 percent of climate vulnerable countries are the most fragile. This should mean that these countries are prioritised by climate finance. Yet, the reality is the opposite. Access to climate finance for fragile and conflict countries is often hindered by structural, technical and institutional barriers. Overcoming these challenges is vital for sustainable peace.

The Weathering Risk Peace Pillar is harnessing the integration of climate and environmental challenges into peace programming for improved outcomes in regions severely affected by both violent conflict and climate change.

Produced one year after the Initiative’s launch, this video explains the goals of this multilateral cooperation, who are its member countries and highlights the impact projects on the ground have currently achieved.

There cannot be climate action without water action. The acknowledgement of this at this year’s UN Water Conference could represent a "once in a generation opportunity" to galvanise action to address the interlinked challenges of climate change and water to achieve sustainable development.

The culmination of the IPCC Sixth Assessment cycle, the recently published synthesis report makes clear the contribution of climate change to global security.

The fourth Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2022 highlighted the importance of multilateral cooperation, inclusivity and locally-informed action to weather the risks resulting from interacting climate and conflict pressures.

In Iraq, the Berghof Foundation, in collaboration with its partner, Peace Paradigms Organisation (PPO), is addressing disputes over water resources exacerbated by climate change through locally led dialogues between communities and local authorities.

Eighty-three million internally displaced persons fall outside the world's main binding protection treaty. Climate change is adding millions more. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) — who move due to conflict, violence, or climate stress without crossing a border — have no equivalent binding global treaty.

The climate diplomacy podcast gives insights to current topics in international climate diplomacy. Our host Alexandra Steinkraus interviews experts and reports on climate-fragility, migration, food insecurity, gender dynamics and much more, not to mention our deep dive into countries and regions.