A
recent report from the
United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has concluded that past and present conflicts in Sudan are linked to the serious environmental degradation that has occurred in the country over the last several decades. The report's findings, along with its subsequent calls for increased spending on environmental management and sustainable development, highlight growing concerns that ecological collapse could trigger social breakdowns in regions across the globe.
The Crisis in Sudan
Sudan's troubles are epitomized by the ongoing tragedy in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced or killed in a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign conducted against black Sudanese by Arab militias. While this humanitarian crisis stems from a complex array of political, economic, and social factors, the new UNEP report claims that the "rapidly eroding environmental services in key parts of the country" are a central, albeit commonly overlooked, cause of the problem.
In fact, according to the UNEP analysis, both the recent conflict in Darfur and the recently ended civil war in Sudan's south have been exacerbated by land degradation, deforestation, and climate change.
For example, the UN estimates that the northern desert boundary in Sudan has shifted southward 50 to 200km since the 1930s, turning large amounts of previously arable land into desert. Average precipitation levels have also changed drastically, dropping 40% since the early 1980s. The result has been fewer pastures, smaller harvests, and increased tension between the various ethnic, religious, and political groups that comprise the Sudanese nation. Compounding these environmental changes, Sudan has also witnessed a boom in its human population and cattle herds, further increasing pressures on the environment.
Sudan Precipitation Levels
Source: FAOSTAT 2007
Source: EarthTrends 2007, using data from FAOSTAT
Stability through Sustainability
The UNEP report also offers a list of 85 recommendations on how improved national and local governance and more focused international financing can address environmental degradation in Sudan, thereby calming current conflicts and preventing new ones.
Putting an optimistic spin on the report, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, noted that;
"Just as environmental degradation can contribute to the triggering and perpetuation of conflict, the sustainable management of natural resources can provide the basis for long-term stability, sustainable livelihoods, and development. It is now critical that both national and local leadership prioritize environmental awareness and opportunities for the sustainable management of natural resources in Sudan."
The Bigger Picture
UNEP's Sudan report is an example of an emerging area of study in policy circles and academia that attempts to map out the interplay between environmental degradation, deteriorating public health, and political and economic instability. These efforts reflect a growing awareness that environmental, social, and political issues are intrinsically linked, and that successful policies in one area necessarily require careful attention to each of the others.
One example of this trend is the presentation of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize to Wangari Maathi. As a pioneer of the Kenyan environmental movement, Maathi does not meet the profile of most former Nobel Peace Prize laureates, who often worked in the areas of foreign policy or human rights. Nevertheless, as Maathi herself has noted, her selection for the award can be seen as an outgrowth of the dawning recognition within the global community of the ties between "good governance, sustainable management of resources, and peace."
These links seem to be especially critical in politically or economically disadvantaged areas, whose residents are often more vulnerable to sudden changes in environmental conditions. Careful consideration of these linkages will be necessary to ensure that the situation in Darfur is not repeated.
Related Links:
Sudan Post-Conflict Environment Assessment
Woodrow Wilson Center, Environmental Change and Security Program
Environmental Change and Security Program Report on Africa
Institute for Environmental Security
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – Report on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulenrability
EarthTrends
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