New Security Beat is the blog of the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program, with contributions from the Maternal Health Initiative, China Environment Forum, Urban Sustainability Laboratory, and Global Sustainability and Resilience Program.

Since 1994, the Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) has actively pursued the connections between the environment, health, population, development, conflict, and security. ECSP brings together scholars, policymakers, media, and practitioners through events, research, publications, multimedia content, and our award-winning blog.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a nonpartisan institution, supported by public and private funds, engaged in the study of national and world affairs.

ECSP currently has three primary focus areas:

Environmental Security and Peacemaking: Natural resources, including water, are factors in conflict and affect national and international security. Climate change is expected to act as a threat multiplier in unstable countries and contexts. Yet environmental interdependence can be a powerful incentive for cooperation and peacebuilding. ECSP works with policymakers, practitioners, and scholars to explore new research and develop policy responses that link the environmental, diplomatic, development, and security realms.

Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience: Ending poverty and building the capacity of people to respond to shocks requires a transdisciplinary approach. Increasingly we see that addressing environmental change and climate impacts is a critical component of sustainable development. ECSP highlights efforts to empower vulnerable populations to address the effects of climate change and helps policymakers and program managers find ways to preserve critical natural resources while providing for people.

Population Dynamics: Global population dynamics such as migration, youth bulges, and urbanization can affect political stability, conflict trends, and environmental vulnerability. ECSP serves as a forum for discussing new research and practical rights-based policies and programs on population-health-environment connections and demographic security.

ECSP and the Maternal Health Initiative are supported by grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development, United Nations Population Fund, Maternal Health Task Force, Henry M. Jackson Foundation, United Nations Foundation, and contributions from other partners and organizations.

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