Laying the Foundation for Environmental Peacebuilding

Abstract

The environment has long served as a means for bringing adversaries together to discuss technical issues as a step toward enhancing security and building political cooperation. During the height of the Cold War, Soviet and American scientists would meet at international scientific meetings to discuss topics ranging from fisheries and air pollution to nuclear safety and climate change. Such meetings provided entry points to build trust, confidence, and mutual understanding in areas that demanded cooperation such as environmental management. Meetings among nongovernmental organizations also helped to build bridges among civil society groups by discussing issues of mutual concern that demanded cooperation, including arms reduction and environmental protection. Such forms of cooperation surrounding environmental issues have been the foundation of the field of environmental peacebuilding whereby the environment is an entry point for conflict prevention and building a sustainable peace. This report, "Laying the Foundation for Environmental Peacebuilding," revisits environmental peacebuilding efforts both during the Cold War and in the immediate years following the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union to take stock of their political and environmental impact. The Rockefeller Archive Center houses the records of the Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU). TMU is a private foundation that since 1985 has awarded grants to American nonprofit organizations to support direct exchanges in the arts and the environment. This report focuses on the extent to which direct person-to-person contacts and professional meetings have helped to strengthen cooperation, enhance trust and understanding, and foster a healthy and clean environment.Â