A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program 

COP29-Host Azerbaijan Accused of Hypocrisy (The Guardian)   

Azerbaijan holds the presidency for the upcoming COP29 in November 2024, and it is using that platform to call for all member states to cease any ongoing conflict they are involved in during the two-week conference. The Central Asian country will also host a “peace day” on November 15, and is putting forth a COP29 Climate and Peace Initiative to support vulnerable countries and advance action in the climate and peace nexus. 

Because COP29 is expected to be overshadowed by two ongoing conflicts in Azerbaijan’s vicinity—the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Russia-Ukraine war—it is no surprise that Azerbaijan is pacing a focus on “peace” during its conference presidency. Yet its efforts have faced significant backlash from activists who view its emphasis on peacekeeping as hypocritical—and a mere PR stunt. They cite a leaked copy of Azerbaijan’s peace appeal which cites the effect of war on increasing greenhouse gas emissions and damaging ecosystems.  

Critics point to Azerbaijan’s own record on these issues, including the ethnic cleansing of Armenians and rampant violations of human rights in the Nagorna-Karabakh region. And as a peace treaty nears completion to end the conflict, more than 300 political prisoners still await justice. Azerbaijan also supplies Russian gas to Europe, which raises concerns about its contributions to the ongoing war.  

READ | Environmental NGOs as Tools of State Security Policy: A Growing Trend 

Landmark Ruling Against Fortress Conservation in DRC (Yale360) 

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights recently ruled that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should return parts of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to its ancestral owners: the Batwa people. Yet the 9 year process of legal deliberation which led to the ruling raised mixed reactions among conservationists and other experts. Some observers claim that the management of land by the Batwa people often enables local militia to use forest resources in exchange for money, leading to exploitation and deforestation.  

The forced eviction of Indigenous Batwa people often has been referred to as “fortress conservation” or the Yellowstone model, which strictly prioritizes ecological preservation and resources over community access to exercise their needs and rights. Western conservation groups have been accused of planning, supporting, and funding these forced evictions. Indeed, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which played a central role in partnership with the DRC government in managing the forest, stated only that it will “take note” of the ruling.  

Since 2016, an established system has allowed community management of over 120,000 acres of forest in DRC, where residents are allowed to exploit the forests within the limits of an agreed-upon management plan. These concessions have been lauded for their dual role in community resilience and forest management, leading experts to emphasize it as a solution for the Batwa community going forward after this landmark ruling. 

READ | Risks and Restoration: Land as a Driver of Conflict and Cooperation 

Climate Change as a “Chaos Multiplier” in Somalia (BBC) 

Somalia has fallen victim to 30 years of interwoven conflicts, including Islamist insurgencies led by ISIS and Al-Shabaab militant groups, an ongoing civil war, and a series of subnational and local clashes. Yet the country also has increasingly struggled with climate-induced extreme weather events, which have worsened already a dire situation in which human and food insecurity predominate. 

As a nation, Somalia ranks among the least contributors to climate change. Indeed, its total emissions since the 1950s are equivalent to what the United States presently emits over an average of three days. Yet Somalia faces profound impacts from its growing global menace of climate change—particularly in farming and animal herding sectors where they exacerbate food insecurity, malnutrition, and maternal health issues. As two-thirds of Somalia’s population depends on agriculture as their primary source of income, a lack of access to food, water, and health services, combined with escalating conflicts, exacts a heavy toll on the population.   

Somalia is an example of how climate change can be seen as a “chaos multiplier” that intensifies humanitarian issues and creates entrenched conflicts. This East African nation certainly needs international support to tackle these impacts .Yet the country’s top climate official remains hopeful that Somalia can address the challenges with the advent of food and energy entrepreneurs who promise to uplift living conditions for its citizens.  

READ | War and Climate Change Intensify Global Water-related Conflicts