Abstract
In this chapter, we identified a myriad of factors that bolster the peace-sustainability nexus. There has been a growing recognition of the relationship between peace and sustainability in both academic and policy circles. However, the current understanding of the peace-promoting potential of sustainability and the sustainability-promoting potential of peace remains limited. This chapter contributes to this knowledge lacuna by merging positive peace and sustainability into a conceptual framework that can guide future research and policymaking. Informed by a systematic review of literature on the peace-sustainability nexus, we discuss the five dimensions of sustainability – economic, social, political, institutional, and environmental – in relation to the pillars of positive peace. We then make a case for the integration of environmental sustainability into the pillars of positive peace.
Keywords
- Peace
- Positive peace
- Sustainability
- Sustainable development
- SDGs
- Environment
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References
Barnard, P., Brown, C. J., Jarvis, A. M., Robertson, A., & Van Rooyen, L. (1998). Extending the Namibian protected area network to safeguard hotspots of endemism and diversity. Biodiversity and Conservation, 7(4), 531–547.
Barnett, J. (2000). Destabilising the environment-conflict thesis. Review of International Studies, 26(2), 271–288.
Binningsbø, H. M., de Soysa, I., & Gleditsch, N. P. (2007). Green giant or straw man? Environmental pressure and civil conflict, 1961–99. Population and Environment, 28(6), 337–353.
Blinc, R., Zidanšek, A., & Šlaus, I. (2007). Sustainable development and global security. Energy, 32(6), 883–890.
Boserup, E., & Schultz, T. P. (Eds.). (1990). Economic and demographic relationships in development. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Brock, L. (1991). Peace through parks: The environment on the peace research agenda. Journal of Peace Research, 28(4), 407–423.
Brundtland Commission. (1987). Our common future: Report of the world commission on environment and development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Buhaug, H., Gleditsch, N. P., & Theisen, O. M. (2008). Implications of climate change for armed conflict. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Cairns, J., Jr. (2003). War and sustainability. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 10(3), 185–193.
Charlesworth, H. (2008). Are women peaceful? Reflections on the role of women in peace-building. Feminist Legal Studies, 16, 347–361.
Collier, P. (2000). Doing well out of war: An economic perspective. In M. R. Berdal & D. M. Malone (Eds.), Greed and grievance: Economic agendas in civil wars (pp. 91–112). Boulder/London: Lynne Rienner.
Conca, K. (2001). Environmental cooperation and international peace. In P. Diehl & N. P. Gleditsch (Eds.), Environmental conflict (pp. 225–249). Boulder: Westview Press.
Conca, K., & Dabelko, G. D. (2002). Environmental peacemaking. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press.
Diehl, P., & Gleditsch, P. (Eds.). (2018). Environmental conflict: An anthology. New York/Oxon: Routledge.
European Commission. (2002). The world summit on sustainable development. People, planet, prosperity. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
Fisher, J., & Rucki, K. (2017). Re-conceptualising the science of sustainability: A dynamical systems approach to understanding the Nexus of conflict, development and the environment. Sustainable Development, 25(4), 267–275.
Galtung, J. (1969). Violence, peace, and peace research. Journal of Peace Research, 6(3), 167–191.
Garnett, T. A. (2016). ‘Ellen is our man’: Perceptions of gender in postconflict Liberian politics. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 18(1), 99–118.
Gizelis, T.-I. (2011). A country of their own: Women and peacebuilding. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 28(5), 522–542. https://doi.org/10.1177/0738894211418412.
Gleditsch, N. P. (1998). Armed conflict and the environment: A critique of the literature. Journal of Peace Research, 35(3), 381–400.
Gomes, A. (2012). Alter-native ‘development’: Indigenous forms of social ecology. Third World Quarterly, 33(6), 1059–1073.
Hansen, T. (2016). Holistic peace. Peace Review, 28(2), 212–219.
Hauge, W., & Ellingsen, T. (1998). Beyond environmental scarcity: Causal pathways to conflict. Journal of Peace Research, 35(3), 299–317.
Hegre, H., Buhaug, H., Calvin, K. V., Nordkvelle, J., Waldhoff, S. T., & Gilmore, E. (2016). Forecasting civil conflict along the shared socio-economic pathways. Environmental Research Letters, 11(5), 8.
Helbing, D. (2019). Digitisation 2.0: A new game begins. In D. Helbing (Ed.), Towards digital enlightenment: Essays on the dark and light sides of the digital revolution (pp. 213–222). Cham: Springer.
Hoerber, T., Wenger, M., & Demion, A. (2019). From peace and prosperity to space and sustainability. In T. Hoerber & S. Lieberman (Eds.), A European space policy: Past consolidation, present challenges and future perspectives (pp. 116–140). London: Routledge.
Homer-Dixon, T. (1999). Environment, scarcity, and violence. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Hove, M. (2017). Post-Gaddafi Libya and the African Union: Challenges and the road to sustainable peace. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 52(3), 271–286.
Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). (2019). Positive peace report 2019: Analysing the factors that sustain peace. Sydney: IEP.
Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). (2020). Global peace index 2020: Measuring peace in a complex world. Sydney: IEP.
Jackson, T., & Curry, J. (2004). Peace in the woods: Sustainability and the democratisation of land use planning and resource management on crown lands in British Columbia. International Planning Studies, 9(1), 27–42.
James, P. (2015). Urban sustainability in theory and practice: Circles of sustainability. Oxon/New York: Routledge.
Jensen, D., & Lonergan, S. (Eds.). (2012). Assessing and restoring natural resources in post-conflict peacebuilding. London: Earthscan.
Kalabamu, F. T. (2019). Land tenure reforms and persistence of land conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa – The case of Botswana. Land Use Policy, 81, 337–345.
Kobia, R. (2002). European Union Commission policy in the DRC. Review of African Political Economy, 29(93–94), 431–443.
Kolstø, P. (2006). The sustainability and future of unrecognised quasi-states. Journal of Peace Research, 43(6), 723–740.
Kosic, A., & Byrne, S. (2008). Community relations work with young people in Vukovar, Croatia: An exploratory study in coexistence building. Peace and Conflict Studies, 15(2), 61–79.
Koubi, V. (2019). Climate change and conflict. Annual Review of Political Science, 22(1), 343–360.
Koubi, V., Bernauer, T., Kalbhenn, A., & Spilker, G. (2012). Climate variability, economic growth, and civil conflict. Journal of Peace Research, 49(1), 113–127.
Krampe, F. (2017). Toward sustainable peace: A new research agenda for post-conflict natural resource management. Global Environmental Politics, 17(4), 1–8.
Le Billon, P. (2001). The political ecology of war: Natural resources and armed conflicts. Political Geography, 20(5), 561–584.
Lucena, J., & Schneider, J. (2008). Engineers, development, and engineering education: From national to sustainable community development. European Journal of Engineering Education, 33(3), 247–257.
Lujala, P. (2010). The spoils of nature: Armed civil conflict and rebel access to natural resources. Journal of Peace Research, 47(1), 15–28.
Mach, K. J., Kraan, C. M., Adger, W. N., Buhaug, H., Burke, M., Fearon, J. D., Field, C. B., Hendrix, C. S., Maystadt, J.-F., O’Loughlin, J., Roessler, P., Scheffran, J., Schultz, K. A., & von Uexkull, N. (2019). Climate as a risk factor for armed conflict. Nature, 571, 193–197.
Magee, L., Scerri, A., & James, P. (2012). Measuring social sustainability: A community-centred approach. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 7(3), 239–261.
Mastro, O. S. (2019). In the shadow of the Thucydides trap: International relations theory and the prospects for peace in U.S.-China relations. Journal of Chinese Political Science, 24(1), 25–45.
Mboup, G., & Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, B. (2019). Relevance of smart economy in smart cities in Africa. In G. Mboup & B. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka (Eds.), Advances in 21st century human settlements (pp. 1–49). Singapore: Springer.
McNairn, R. (2004). Building capacity to resolve conflict in communities: Oxfam experience in Rwanda. Gender and Development, 12(3), 83–93.
McNulty, R. E. (2014). Reflections on the importance of business for peace in 21st-century peacebuilding. Business, Peace and Sustainable Development, 2014(4), 113–122.
Meadowcroft, J. (2009). What about the politics? Sustainable development, transition management, and long term energy transitions. Policy Sciences, 42(4), 323–340.
Mihelcic, J. R., Phillips, L. D., & Watkins, D. W., Jr. (2006). Integrating a global perspective into education and research: Engineering international sustainable development. Environmental Engineering Science, 23(3), 426–438.
Mitter, S. (2004). Globalisation, ICTs, and economic empowerment: A feminist critique. Gender Technology and Development, 8(1), 5–29.
Muyingi, M. A. (2013). Conflict and development in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A review of related literature. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 4(3), 491–502.
Ndaguba, E. A., Nzewi, O. I., & Shai, K. B. (2018). Financial imperatives and constraints towards funding the SADC Standby Force. India Quarterly, 74(2), 179–196.
Norander, S., & Harter, L. M. (2012). Reflexivity in practice: Challenges and potentials of transnational organising. Management Communication Quarterly, 26(1), 74–105.
Nwebo, O. E. (2018). The African Union Agenda 2063 and the imperative of democratic governance. Law and Development Review, 11(2), 259–276.
Oetzel, J., & Miklian, J. (2017). Multinational enterprises, risk management, and the business and economics of peace. Multinational Business Review, 25(4), 270–286.
Omojimite, B. U. (2012). Sustainable development, peace and security in the Niger Delta region. European Journal of Social Sciences, 28(4), 549–558.
Öztana, M., & Axelrod, M. (2011). Sustainable transboundary groundwater management under shifting political scenarios: The Ceylanpinar aquifer and Turkey-Syria relations. Water International, 36(5), 671–685.
Parker, M. (2005). Beyond polarisation and platitudes – Policies for environment, development and sustainable peace: Finding paths to environmental peace-making. Journal of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, 19(1), 68–72.
Parsons, R. J. (2011). Strengthening sovereignty: Security and sustainability in an era of climate change. Sustainability, 3(9), 1416–1451.
Pemunta, N. V., & Nkongho, E. A. R. (2014). The fragility of the liberal peace export to South Sudan: Formal education access as a basis of a liberal peace project. Journal of Human Security, 10(1), 59–75.
Raleigh, C., & Urdal, H. (2007). Climate change, environmental degradation and armed conflict. Political Geography, 26(6), 674–694.
Redclift, M. (1991). The multiple dimensions of sustainable development. Geography, 76(1), 36–42.
Salmoral, G., Schaap, N. C. E., Walschebauer, J., & Alhajaj, A. (2019). Water diplomacy and nexus governance in a transboundary context: In the search for complementarities. Science of the Total Environment, 690, 85–96.
Schmitz, C. L., Matyók, T., Sloan, L. M., & James, C. (2012). The relationship between social work and environmental sustainability: Implications for interdisciplinary practice. International Journal of Social Welfare, 21(3), 278–286.
Schockman, H. E., & Rebstock, C. (2017). The role of global food banks as an alternative, non-profit business model: Advancing peace, alleviating food insecurity and contributing to global sustainability. Business, Peace and Sustainable Development, 2017(9), 3–6.
Scoones, I. (2016). The politics of sustainability and development. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41(1), 293–319.
Seghezzo, L. (2009). The five dimensions of sustainability. Environmental Politics, 18(4), 539–556.
Sharifi, A., Simangan, D., & Kaneko, S. (2020). Three decades of research on climate change and peace: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability Science (online first). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00853-3.
Sharifi, A., Simangan, D., & Kaneko, S. (2021). The literature landscape on peace-sustainability nexus: A scientometric analysis. Ambio, 50, 661–678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01388-8.
Sharma, E., Yan, Z., & Sharma, B. (2007). ICIMOD’s regional rangeland program for the Hindu-Kush-Himalayas. Mountain Research and Development, 27(2), 174–177.
Shrivastava, P., & Suazo, A. E. (2017). Peaceful sustainability. Business, Peace and Sustainable Development, 2017(10), 28–34.
Simangan, D. (2019). International peacebuilding and local involvement: A Liberal renaissance? Oxon/New York: Routledge.
Simangan, D., Virji, H., Hendrix, C., Islam, M., et al. (2021). A co-designed exploratory research framework on peace and sustainability. Unpublished manuscript.
Skarlato, O., Byrne, S., Ahmed, K., Hyde, J. M., & Karari, P. (2013). Grassroots peacebuilding in Northern Ireland and the border counties: Elements of an effective model. Peace and Conflict Studies, 20(1), 4–26.
Swain, A., & Krampe, F. (2011). Stability and sustainability in peace building: Priority area for warfare ecology. In G. Machlis, T. Hanson, Z. Špirić, & J. E. McKendry (Eds.), NATO science for peace and security series C: Environmental security (pp. 199–210). Dordrecht: Springer.
Tal, A. (2007). International water law and implications for cooperative Israeli-Palestinian transboundary water management. In I. Cooper, T. Kuhne, & V. P. Polishchuk (Eds.), NATO security through science series C: Environmental security (pp. 213–236). Dordrecht: Springer.
Theisen, O. M. (2008). Blood and soil? Resource scarcity and internal armed conflict revisited. Journal of Peace Research, 45(6), 801–818.
United Nations (UN). (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. UN Doc. A/RES/70/1, October 21.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). (2001). Indicators of sustainable development: Guidelines and methodologies (2nd ed.). UNDESA.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2015). Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage. Bonn: UNESCO.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2009). From conflict to peacebuilding: The role of natural resources and the environment. Nairobi: UNEP.
Urdal, H. (2005). People vs. Malthus: Population pressure, environmental degradation, and armed conflict revisited. Journal of Peace Research, 42(4), 417–434.
Von Uexkull, N., Croicu, M., Fjelde, H., & Buhaug, H. (2016). Civil conflict sensitivity to growing-season drought. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(44), 12391–12396.
Wendling, Z. A., Emerson, J. W., de Sherbinin, A., Esty, D. C., et al. (2020). 2020 environmental performance index. New Haven: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
Young, H., & Goldman, L. (2015). Managing resources for livelihoods. Environmental Forum, 32(4), 28–33.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sharifi, A., Simangan, D. (2021). Environmental Sustainability: The Missing Pillar of Positive Peace. In: Standish, K., Devere, H., Suazo, A., Rafferty, R. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Peace. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3877-3_35-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3877-3_35-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-3877-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-3877-3
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Political Science & International StudiesReference Module Humanities and Social Sciences