In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the development of the mining industry
has often been accompanied by violence and community-led social protest. To
halt these protests, young democratic institutions have, in various cases,
turned to authoritarian dogmas. Researcher Dr. Triscritti illustrates how in
Peru these practices are decreasing the chances of reaching durable and
peaceful agreements.
The Earth Institute at Columbia University hosted a two-day workshop that brought together practitioners, trainers, and academics to explore innovative approaches to teaching and training on natural resources management in fragile states and peacebuilding contexts. The workshop concluded with a clear statement: current academic and training programs do not provide a coherent methodology for students and practitioners to adequately face the challenges posed by the confluence of fragile states, climate risks, natural resources, conflict, and peacebuilding.
An understanding of the issues that influence conflict in Myanmar is necessary to think about how sustainable peace might be reached. But our research instead focuses on identifying “latent peace capacities” that already exist in and outside of the country, while also exploring means of transforming the underlying structures that give rise to conflict.
Five percent of all difficult conflicts end in a destructive quagmire. Think of the current debate over global warming or the Israel-Palestine conflict. How can we overcome these? An Earth Institute psychologist, Peter T. Coleman, offers tactics in his new book, The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts. Coleman, who also heads Columbia’s [...]
State of the Planet is a forum for discussion on varying viewpoints. The opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Earth Institute or Columbia University.
