Thought-leaders and Frontline Workers in Environmental Peacebuilding | An Oral History: Dr. Ken Conca and Dr. Geoff Dabelko

On today’s episode of New Security Broadcast, ECSP and the Environmental Peacebuilding Association launch a series of oral history interviews with academics, practitioners, and frontline workers to trace the history of the field of environmental peacebuilding.

From the people who helped shape the field to those who are bringing new approaches and perspectives today, our guests give us a behind-the-scenes look at how the field first emerged and how it has evolved. The series delves into their stories and their leadership in framing and developing the field’s key concepts, elevating the understanding that a common concern for the environment can be a foundation to build peace, and practicing environmental peacebuilding on the frontlines.

In this first episode, ECSP’s Claire Doyle speaks with two of the earliest pioneers in the environmental peacebuilding field, Dr. Ken Conca and Dr. Geoff Dabelko. Dr. Conca is a professor of global environmental governance at the School of International Service at American University, and as a director on the board of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. Dr. Dabelko is a Professor of Environmental Studies at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service and a senior advisor for ECSP, where he was the Director from 1997 to 2012.

Ken and Geoff unpack what motivated them to publish their book “Environmental Peacemaking” and share how they’ve seen the field change, as well as their hopes for the future of environmental peacebuilding. Select quotes from the interview are featured below.