Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Pathways for Progress

Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Pathways for Progress

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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Pathways for Progress OLIVIER SERRAT 2026
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  “Cooperation does notarise from declarations or negotiations. It grows from joint engagement with shared environmental concerns and from the slow, patient rebuilding of ties across divides.” ― OLIVIER SERRAT
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: UniqueSelling Points Demonstrates how diverse disciplines collectively strengthen environmental peacebuilding Provides the first integrated evaluation- centered approach in environmental peacebuilding Equips policymakers, practitioners, and scholars with actionable environmental peacebuilding frameworks
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  Environmental Peacebuilding: WhyIt Matters • Shared ecosystems generate inherent incentives for cooperation. • Environmental degradation often reflects social fragmentation— and can intensify it. • Joint environmental action can rebuild trust, ease tensions, and strengthen long-term stability. • The field is emerging at the nexus of climate change, natural resource governance, and peacebuilding. Environmental peacebuilding connects ecological stewardship with the transformation of conflict.
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  Environmental Cooperation asa Pathway to Peace Environmental cooperation grows through shared engagement with ecosystems. Key pathways include: Joint management of shared resources Inclusive ecosystem governance Building ecological resilience together Creating dialogue through environmental projects Supporting peace processes with environmental incentives
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Preface(1) “Throughout history, communities have developed practices that linked environmental stewardship with social stability … [T]hey reflected a long- standing recognition of the interdependence between ecological conditions and social order.” (Cont'd)
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Preface(2) “[This SpringerBrief] argues that without evaluative frameworks capable of addressing complexity, uncertainty, and the hybrid nature of socio- ecological systems, [environmental peacebuilding] risks falling short of its potential as a pathway to peace … By clarifying the field’s foundations while pointing toward new evaluative and conceptual pathways, this Brief seeks to contribute to a field that is still taking shape—one whose promise depends on both analytical rigor and sustained imagination.” (Olivier Serrat, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA)
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Letterto the Reader (1) “I did not set out to write this [Brief] with a specific theory in mind. It developed from a realization that had become clearer over time: the environment is not merely a backdrop to human conflict but frequently the first to absorb the consequences of our divisions and the extractive practices that both shape and result from them, with repercussions that return in ways we rarely anticipate.” (Cont’d)
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Letterto the Reader (2) “[This Brief] is written for readers who recognize that restoring ecosystems and mending social bonds are closely connected tasks … My hope is that these pages offer not only analysis, but also a reminder that peace is most reliably supported in the everyday practice of tending the places we share … If this work points toward anything, it is toward choosing care over depletion. Be for the glory, not the degradation. What can you contribute?” (Olivier Serrat, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA)
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  An Interdisciplinary Foundation Environmentalpeacebuilding draws strength from multiple disciplines: •Anthropology •Economics •Environmental Science •History •International Relations •Liberal Studies •Sociology Together, these perspectives clarify how ecological conditions and social dynamics interact—shaping both cooperation and conflict.
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  Why Evaluation IsEssential Environmental peacebuilding operates within complex socio-ecological systems— making evaluation foundational. These systems are characterized by uncertainty, feedback loops, and non- linear dynamics. Without robust evaluation, interventions can drift unguided or overlook key conflict drivers. Evaluation supplies the learning, accountability, and adaptive management needed to navigate these dynamics. This Brief introduces context- sensitive, complexity-aware evaluation frameworks designed specifically for environmental peacebuilding.
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  Extending & SupplementingEvaluation Criteria for Environmental Peacebuilding Together, these elements form a hybrid evaluative architecture that more accurately reflects socio-ecological complexity, conflict dynamics, governance legitimacy, and long-term resilience. This Brief advances evaluation through a two-fold contribution: Extending the OECD–DAC criteria by adapting relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability to hybrid socio- ecological and conflict-sensitive contexts. Proposing supplementary criteria—provisional and subject to future research*—covering adaptability and resilience, conflict sensitivity and “Do No Harm”, cultural sensitivity, inclusivity and participation, legitimacy, long-term environmental impact, and “Peace Writ Large”. * Serrat, O. (2026). Extending OECD–DAC: Designing context-sensitive evaluation frameworks for environmental peacebuilding—A dissertation proposal [Presentation]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/401091721_Extending_OECD-DAC_Designing_Context-Sensitive_Evaluation_Frameworks_for_Environmental_Peacebuilding
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  Who This BriefIs For •Policymakers •Practitioners •Scholars •Students •Organizations seeking integrated approaches to resilience and cooperation This Brief serves readers working at the intersection of environment, conflict, and development:
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Contents(1) Chapter 1. Roots of Reconciliation: The Emergence of Environmental Peacebuilding Chapter 2. Disciplinary Perspectives on Environmental Peacebuilding: Insights from Environmental Science and International Relations Chapter 3. Bridging the Gap: Synergizing Anthropology, Economics, History, and Sociology for Environmental Peacebuilding Chapter 4. Accounting for Complexity: Liberal Studies and Environmental Peacebuilding Chapter 5. Milestones of Scholarship: From Idea to Contribution in Environmental Peacebuilding 1 2 3 4
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Contents(2) Chapter 6. Assessing Environmental Peacebuilding: Principles, Criteria, and Pathways for Proactive Interventions Chapter 7. Extending OECD–DAC: Designing Context-Sensitive Evaluation Frameworks for Environmental Peacebuilding Chapter 8. The Tonle Sap Initiative as Proto-Environmental Peacebuilding Chapter 9. Environmental Peacebuilding: Futures Made Together 6 7 8
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  Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding: Contents(3) Subject Index A Anthropocene, vi, 127, 156, 158, 159 B Biodiversity, 4, 12, 13, 24, 26, 32, 34, 37–39, 42, 45, 50, 53, 75, 123, 136, 138, 144 C Climate Change, v, 1, 4, 11–12, 14, 24, 31, 33, 34, 37, 39, 45, 49, 53, 63, 72, 102, 104 … E Ecology, xix, 2, 37, 39, 52, 75, 117–119, 121 …
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  Bibliometric Information (1) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-4028-9 •Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding Book Title • Pathways for Progress Book Subtitle • Olivier Serrat Author • https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-4028-9 DOI • Springer Nature Singapore Publisher Name • 978-981-92-4027-2 Softcover ISBN • 978-981-92-4028-9 eBook ISBN
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  Bibliometric Information (2) Buythis book on publisher’s site • 1 Edition Number • XXI, 161 Number of Pages • 13 b/w illustrations Number of Illustrations • International Relations; Environmental Policy; Climate, general; Sustainable Development Topics Buy this book on publisher’s site
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  About the Author OlivierSerrat is an environmental peacebuilding researcher at Georgetown University whose work examines how environmental challenges, organizational leadership, and systems thinking shape pathways to sustainable development. He is the author of Advancing Environmental Peacebuilding (2026), Anthropogenic Solutions for Climate Change (2025), and several other books on development, leadership, and performance, including Leading Organizations of the Future (2023), Digital Solutions (2023), Leading Solutions (2021), Knowledge Solutions (2017), and Learning in Development (2010). He has also conceptualized and edited volumes for the Asian Development Bank. His writing extends into the humanities as well, with recent titles such as The Anthropology of Desire (2026), Myth, Philosophy, & Literature (2025), Mere Words, These (2023), and Flash Fiction (2022). From 2008 to 2012, he led knowledge management at the Asian Development Bank, following earlier roles in evaluation, policy, strategy, programs, and project operations. He holds degrees from the University of Kent, the University of London, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
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  Annex: A WiderArc of Inquiry https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-10-0983-9 https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-33-6485-1 https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-19-7253-9 https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-99-8199-1 https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-96-8654-4 https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-92-4028-9 Serrat, O. (2017). Knowledge solutions: Tools, methods, and approaches to drive organizational performance. Springer. https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-10-0983-9 Serrat, O. (2021). Leading solutions: Essays in business psychology. Springer. https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-33-6485-1 Serrat, O. (2023). Digital solutions: Reframing leadership. Springer. https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-19-7253-9 Serrat, O. (2023). Leading organizations of the future: A new framework. Springer. https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-99-8199-1 Serrat, O. (2025). Anthropogenic solutions for climate change: Achieving environmental peace. Springer. https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-96-8654-4 Serrat, O. (2026). Advancing environmental peacebuilding: Pathways for progress. Springer. https://link.springer.c om/book/10.1007/97 8-981-92-4028-9
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  Annex: Quick ResponseCodes @Academia.edu @Google Scholar @LinkedIn @ResearchGate @SlideShare @X