The food crisis in the Sahel, forest conflicts in Indonesia, mining disputes in Colombia: environmental aspects are increasingly recognized as important elements of sustainable peace. Governments have urged international organisations such as the UN to initiate discussions on the potential impacts of climate change on the security and stability of states. Environmental security has become a central issue in foreign and security strategy planning. This is illustrated by the generous support extended by the German Federal Foreign Office for an upgrade of the Environment, Conflict and Cooperation (ECC) platform and its newsletter.
