THE web connecting climate change, peace and security is a reality for millions. Global environmental concerns like rising temperatures, extreme weather events and diminishing resources are potent drivers of conflict, exacerbating vulnerabilities, displacing populations and undermining the foundations of peace. Yet, within this crisis lies a profound opportunity: to forge resilience and build lasting peace through integrated, climate-informed solutions.
From prolonged droughts that ignite pastoralist-farmer clashes in the Sahel, to rising sea levels displacing coastal communities in Southeast Asia, climate change intensifies existing grievances and creates new ones. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) highlights this nexus, underscoring how climate impact can lead to resource scarcity, fueling socioeconomic instability and increasing the likelihood of conflicts.
Conflict-affected regions struggle to implement effective climate action due to destroyed infrastructure and diverted resources, trapping communities in a vicious cycle. The UNDP report states: “Climate action and peace-building are not parallel processes but mutually reinforcing imperatives.” The path forward demands a holistic approach where environmental sustainability, economic opportunity and conflict prevention converge.
At the heart of this strategy lies the promotion of sustainable livelihoods. When communities possess the means to adapt to a changing climate, secure their economic future and manage resources equitably, conflict drivers are significantly diminished. Renewable energy projects, climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions foster economic stability, create jobs and mitigate climate-related security risks. They build resilience from the ground up, empowering local actors, fostering social cohesion and enabling self-sufficiency. They reduce dependence on fragile systems and mitigating desperation that can fuel unrest.
This dynamic is evident in the Philippines, a nation grappling with its own climate crisis as a “threat multiplier.” In conflict-scarred Mindanao, environmental degradation and resource scarcity fuel tensions. Rising sea levels swallow ancestral lands, droughts parch fertile fields and typhoons obliterate homes. The Philippines’ National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security says the women’s displacement “from their cultural lands affects their way of life, as lands are integral to their cultural identity, livelihoods, spiritual practices, social structures and traditional knowledge systems.”
In this context, Filipinas are emerging as “architects of resilience,” redefining climate peace from the ground up. In Upi, Maguindanao, Baihannah, an Indigenous woman displaced by past conflict, teaches traditional weaving. She uses sustainably harvested materials, reviving a cultural practice while creating alternative livelihoods. To Baihannah, weaving is not just making cloth, but “remembering who we are, teaching our children our stories and finding strength in our traditions.”
Integrating former combatants
In a community grappling with rising tides in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, ex-fisherwoman Aisha facilitates dialogue between rival groups to establish sustainable fishing practices and protect shared marine resources. Instead of “fighting over the last fish,” Aisha says, “We have to learn to work together, protect what’s left and find new ways to survive.” Her insight underscores the link between ecological health and social cohesion.
The UNDP’s integrated approach in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) embeds climate resilience into local governance, providing solar-powered ice-making units to fisherfolk (especially war widows) to enhance food security and create sustainable jobs. This economic empowerment strengthens social cohesion.
The program extends training and support to ex-combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who have transitioned from conflict through initiatives like the School of Peace and Democracy. They learn skills in processing local resources like coconuts for economic gain. By integrating ex-adversaries into climate-adaptive economic activities, the initiative supports their reintegration into civilian life and channels their energy into productive work that benefits the environment and the community. Ex-combatants have a new purpose and identity beyond conflict and a stake in a resilient future.
The BARMM impacts are clear: strengthened social cohesion through shared economic benefits; increased food security; new sustainable economic opportunities that reduce reliance on illicit economies; and a reduction in conflicts over dwindling resources. The collaboration of governments and communities makes it possible to build resilience against climate shocks, reduce security risks and create paths for sustainable development. BARMM offers lessons for regions grappling with the intersection of climate stress, displacement and resource competition.
The author is the founder and chief strategic advisor of the Young Environmental Forum and a subject-matter expert at the Co-operative College of the Philippines. He completed a climate change and development course at the University of East Anglia (UK) and an executive program on sustainability leadership at Yale University (USA). Email him at ludwig.federigan@gmail.com.