News

Women, War and Natural Resources

November 12, 2012

Extract of an article written by Jamie Bechtel, Co-Founder and CEO of New Course, originally published on the 'Center for a better life website'.

Environmental conservationist and human rights activist Wangari Maathai, PhD, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her efforts to teach women in Kenya to plant trees. Together, she and the women of Kenya planted tens of millions of trees. As the Nobel Prize Committee noted, “Peace on Earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment,” many people scratched their heads at this notion since planting trees does not seem to be a salve for wars. However, Maathai understood this disconnect and upon receiving her award, she challenged people “to think holistically. Think of many conflicts – conflicts within your area, far away from your area and far away from your country – and ask yourself: Why are those people fighting? Almost every war is over access and control of resources.”

The data supports Maathai’s assertion as the nature of war has evolved. Today conflicts are more commonly fought within national borders rather than between states, and most of these occur in developing countries. During 2011, 27 armed conflicts occurred in the world, 26 of which were intrastate conflicts, and all but one occurred in developing countries. Not only has the geography of war changed but also the reasons wars are fought. Throughout the past 60 years it has been estimated that exploitation of natural resources has fueled more than 40 percent of the world’s violent conflicts. In the past 20 years alone, approximately 18 wars have resulted from natural resource disagreements.

To continue reading, please visit, http://centerforabetterlife.com/eng/magazine/article_detail.lasso?id=377