An A-Z Guide to Environmental Peacebuilding

The Essential Concepts of Environmental Peacebuilding: An A–Z Guide was published in June 2026, offering a comprehensive introduction to the key concepts of environmental conflict and peacebuilding through an accessible reference format.

The book responds to the growing need for shared conceptual clarity in a field situated at the intersection of environment, conflict, and peace. Over recent decades, scholarship on war, peace, and environmental change has expanded significantly, contributing to the emergence of environmental peacebuilding as a distinct and evolving area of research and practice.

This field brings together work on both the environmental drivers of conflict and the environmental foundations for peace. The language used to describe, analyse, teach, and inform policy in this domain is often nuanced, evolving, and at times contested. The A–Z guide addresses this complexity by providing a structured reference that defines and explains key terms in a consistent and accessible manner.

The publication opens with a thematic introduction situating environmental peacebuilding within broader academic and policy debates, followed by more than 150 alphabetically organised entries written by experts in the field. Each entry provides a clear definition of a concept and, where relevant, illustrates its application in research and practice. Designed as a reference work for students, academics, practitioners, and policymakers, it is also relevant to related fields including security studies, peace and conflict studies, environmental studies, and environmental law.

The book was edited by Carl Bruch, Rachel Weaver, Richard Matthew, Erika Weinthal, and Larry Swatuk. GEDT doctoral researcher Emmanuel Valax contributed as a co-author to a selection of entries in the areas of climate security and water governance.