A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program 

Corruption Stymies Environmental Crime Fight in the Amazon (Mongabay) 

In the Andean Republics, rampant systemic judicial corruption has challenged the entire justice system, with judges implicated in both bribery and extortion. Because leadership from judges is essential for the success of reform efforts ranging from anti-corruption campaigns to environmental crime enforcement, the result has been damaging to the entire justice system in the region for more than a decade. 

The statistics from the region are damning in this regard. A 2012 review in Brazil found that of 5,917 processed cases, only 205 resulted in convictions. A full total of 2,918 cases were dismissed on technicalities or statute of limitations. A study of corruption in Peru’s judiciary in 2019 revealed that only 201 prosecutors and 185 judges were found guilty in connection with 31,370 complaints, and that 90% of those who were disciplined were offered voluntary retirement and low fines. A three-year review in Ecuador (2019-2022) noted that investigations of 24 judges and 30 prosecutors for corruption and organized crime links resulted in the dismissal of only six judges and one prosecutor.  

READ | Fostering Citizen Enforcement and Rule of Law Could Cut Down Illegal Logging 

In Jammu and Kashmir, Women Bear the Brunt of Climate Impacts (Foreign Policy) 

Among the 1.49 million Gujjar-Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir who undertake seasonal migrations between plains and high-altitude meadows, women who manage households and herds bear the brunt of climate impacts. Erratic heat waves, unpredictable snowfall, and drying springs force these women to walk for hours multiple times each day for water, which was once a task that took only minutes to accomplish by visiting a nearby spring.  

A 2021 study found that climate impacts force a disproportionate number of these women into cycles of exhaustion. The result is serious mental health consequences that include persistent anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and sleep deprivation. Other researchers also confirm that when climate adaptation plans fail to integrate sexual, reproductive, and mental health services, they deepen existing vulnerabilities. 

READ | Untapped Opportunities? The Need to Integrate Young Women in Water Management 

Why the Intersection of Climate and Conflict Matters for COP30 (The New Humanitarian)  

The problem of non-state armed groups is pervasive, with 204 million people living in territories controlled by these forces. It is a particular problem in Africa, which is home to 41% of all armed groups of humanitarian concern and fully 111 million people on the continent under their control.  

Four interconnected pathways link climate change to these dynamics. Worsened livelihoods for farmers and fishing communities making them vulnerable to recruitment, while climate displacement creates vulnerability and conflicts (such as Sahel pastoralist-farmer clashes). Climate disasters also shape the tactics and behavior of armed groups, while political elites exploit climate effects to increase inequalities. 

Armed groups also provide missing humanitarian assistance to improve their image. For instance, Pakistan’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Somalia’s al-Shabab stepped in during flooding and drought when the governments of those nations failed. Some armed groups also play environmental governance roles. Colombia’s FARC strictly banned deforestation for cover and community credentials, while al-Shabab seeks environment preservation to obtain farming income and to hide from drones. These trends reveal the shortcomings in the traditional state-centered UN system, as well as a perpetuation in governance gaps in places where armed groups control large territories. 

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