Beyond Emissions: How Climate Solutions Are Becoming Pathways to Peace and Stability

The UNDP-led report shows that climate change is increasingly driving conflict in fragile regions, but also demonstrates that well-designed, inclusive climate action can reduce tensions and strengthen peace. By integrating climate resilience with community participation, gender inclusion and conflict sensitivity, climate solutions can become powerful tools for long-term stability and security.

Climate change is no longer only about melting glaciers or rising emissions. It is increasingly about conflict, instability and peace. That is the core message of From Crisis to Resilience: Climate Solutions for Positive Peacebuilding, a new UNDP publication developed through the Climate, Peace and Security Experts Academy. The initiative brings together the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), the Climate Security Mechanism and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), under the COP27 Presidency Initiative Climate Response for Sustaining Peace. Drawing on real-world experiences from ten countries, the report argues that climate stress is now one of the most powerful drivers of insecurity in fragile and conflict-affected regions.

Rising temperatures, droughts, floods and sea-level rise are placing growing pressure on land, water and livelihoods. In places already struggling with poverty, weak governance or unresolved conflict, these pressures can quickly turn into violence. Climate change does not cause conflict by itself, the report explains, but it makes existing tensions harder to manage and easier to ignite. Conflict then worsens climate vulnerability by destroying infrastructure and draining public resources, trapping communities in a dangerous cycle.

When Climate Stress Meets Fragility

The compendium shows how climate impacts play out differently across regions, but with strikingly similar consequences. In Iraq’s southern marshlands, decades of war combined with drought and rising temperatures have devastated farming and fishing, forcing families to leave ancestral lands. In Jordan, one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, climate pressure is intensified by the arrival of large refugee populations. In coastal and arid regions of Africa and Asia, climate shocks are undermining food security, fuelling land disputes and deepening inequality.

What links these contexts is vulnerability. Where institutions are weak and trust is low, competition over shrinking resources can easily escalate. The report warns that without careful planning, even climate solutions, such as renewable energy projects or new infrastructure, can increase tensions if benefits are uneven or communities are excluded.

Turning Climate Action into Peacebuilding

Rather than presenting climate action as a risk, the report highlights its potential as a peacebuilding tool. Across the ten case studies, climate projects that were designed with conflict sensitivity and community participation delivered broader social benefits. In Iraq, solar-powered water systems and eco-tourism helped restore livelihoods, while participatory assessments were used to resolve tensions over benefit-sharing. In Jordan, large solar plants in refugee camps improved energy access, reduced emissions and eased tensions by extending benefits to host communities as well.

In several cases, climate investments also improved safety and dignity. Reliable electricity reduced exposure to gender-based violence, while secure livelihoods lowered displacement pressures. These examples show that climate action can strengthen social cohesion when it is inclusive and fair.

Women, Data and Local Solutions Matter

One of the report’s strongest messages is the importance of inclusion, especially of women. In Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, water scarcity had become a source of conflict and abuse. By putting women in charge of solar-powered water kiosks and training them as mediators, the project improved access to clean water while reducing violence and empowering women economically. Similar patterns appear across the case studies, where women play key roles in managing resources, resolving disputes and building resilience.

The report also stresses the value of data and local knowledge. In Ghana and Kenya, mapping climate-related conflicts and using citizen-generated data helped communities and governments understand risks early and respond more effectively. In Kenya’s Tana River County, shared data on water sources enabled farmers and pastoralists to negotiate access and reduce violent clashes.

A Blueprint for a More Stable Future

From post-conflict Colombia to fragile regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Timor-Leste, the case studies point to one conclusion: climate action and peacebuilding work best when they are pursued together. Environmental restoration, sustainable livelihoods and inclusive governance can help rebuild trust in places shaped by violence and neglect. Traditional knowledge, when combined with modern climate science, can strengthen both resilience and social cohesion.

The report ends with a clear call to action. Climate finance must be designed to deliver peace benefits, especially in fragile settings. Community ownership, women’s leadership, good data and strong institutions are not optional; they are essential. As climate impacts accelerate, the choice facing policymakers is simple: treat climate change as a narrow environmental issue, or use climate solutions to help build a more peaceful and resilient world.