The Environmental Security Research Group is a forum for collaboration between the security community and scholars working on issues of environmental security from multiple perspectives across different disciplines. It focuses, in particular, on supporting and developing educational, research and policy-related projects and activities on two key themes:
- The planetary, international, national and human security repercussions of climate change and biocapacity loss;
- The opportunities, challenges and limitations for security forces to help governments and societies manage, mitigate and adapt to these repercussions.
In bringing scholarly and practitioner expertise together on these issues, the research group aims to support security sector reform efforts to create sustainable, rule-of-law based security assistance for the proliferating environmental crises facing the world.
Activities
- Sharing and generating timely content and insights on current threats and innovations, to aid members of security forces, from senior policymakers through to entry-level officials;
- Supporting high quality, collaborative research projects and publications with academic and policy impact;
- Developing multi-disciplinary and evidence-based educational programmes, both within the higher education and security sectors;
- Enhancing the reach and impact of current Kings College London research around the theme of environmental security.
Membership
Associate membership is open to anyone engaged in ongoing research that is relevant to the group, or who has an interest in the group's focus of research.
To apply for associate membership please complete the application form.
Publications
- Zeoni, L. and Jalili, D. (2020) ‘Londra Mette L’artico Nel Mirino’, Limes, Revista Italiana di Geopolitica: 203-211
- Zeitoun, M., Mirumachi, N. & Warner, J. (2020) Water conflicts: Analysis for transformation. New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Mirumachi, N., Sawas, A. & Workman, M. (2020) 'Unveiling the security concerns of low carbon development: climate security analysis of the undesirable and unintended effects of mitigation and adaptation,' Climate and Development, 12(2): 97-109.
- Chin Yee, S. (2019) Climate change and human security: Case studies linking vulnerable populations to increased security risks in the face of the global climate challenge. Strategy Paper Eighteen. London: European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS).
- Chin-Yee, S. (2016) 'Briefing: Africa and the Paris climate change agreement', African Affairs, 115(459), April: 359-368.
- Dickman, A., Johnson, P., Coals, P., Harrington, L., Tyrrell, P., Somerville, K., Cotterill, A. & Whetham, D. (2020) ‘Wars over Wildlife: Green Militarisation and Just War Theory’, Conservation and Society, 18(3): 293-297.
- Winch, C., Clarke, L. & Sahin-Dikmen, M. (2020) 'Overcoming diverse approaches to vocational education and training to combat climate change: the case of low energy construction in Europe ', Oxford Review of Education, 46(5): 619-636.
- Bevan, L., Colley, T. and Workman, M. (2020) ‘Climate change strategic narratives in the UK: Emergency, Extinction, Effectiveness’, Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 69.
- Boas, I., Farbotko, C., Adams, H. et al. (2019) ‘Climate migration myths’, Nature Climate Change, 9: 901–903.
- Chin, W. (2019) ‘Technology, war and the state: past, present and future’, International Affairs 95(4), July: 765–783.
- Murphy , R, Pelling, M, Adams, H, Di Vincez, S & Visman, E. (2018) 'Survivor-Led Response: Local recommendations to operationalise building back better', International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, vol. 31: 135-142.
- Bushell, S., Buisson, G.S., Workman, M., and Colley, T. (2017) Strategic Narratives in Climate Change: Towards a Unifying Narrative to Address the Action Gap on Climate Change. In: Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 28: 39-49.
- Karagiannis, E. (2015) When the Green Gets Greener: Political Islam’s Newly Found Environmentalism, In: Small Wars and Insurgencies. 26(1): 181-201.
- Rapley, C. & De Meyer, K. (2014) 'Climate science reconsidered', Nature climate change, 4(9): 745-746.
Our partners
External partners:

Conflict and Environment Observatory
CEOBS was launched in 2018 and provides world-leading research on the environmental consequences of war and the role of environmental factors in triggering or driving insecurity. In doing so, it seeks to challenge the idea of the environment as a ‘silent victim of armed conflict'

PAX for Peace
PAX seeks to help reduce conflict and enhance peace through research, advocacy and policy work, including programmes dealing with the human rights violations and armed conflict that can stem from extraction and use of natural resources.

Dr Adam Day, Director of Programmes at United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (New York)
Adam is currently supporting a global risk assessment on climate security (led by the Adelphi group), as well as engaging in his own research and policy work on climate security and conflict prevention. He brings to his research practitioner experience in UN peace operations, political engagement in conflict settings, mediation and protection of civilians.

Dr Mark Workman, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London
Mark is a Visiting Lecturer at Energy Futures Lab, an Affiliate Researcher at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, and the Environment and Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, London. He is currently developing whole system analysis expertise around the following topics: resource systems, energy transitions, environmental and climate change, and violent conflict. He is also focusing on the processes of decision making under uncertainty and science communication around climate change. In addition to his research experience, Mark has undertaken military operational tours and extreme and high risk expeditions worldwide.
Related King's groups:

Climate, law and governance
The King’s Centre for Climate Law and Governance fosters interdisciplinary research about legal and governance approaches to the disruptive challenges of climate change and sustainability.

Environment & public policy
The Environment and Public Policy Group delivers theoretically and empirically grounded research focused on environmental issues and the energy transition.
King's climate hub
A cross-disciplinary home to research expertise on climate change across time and space.

King's water centre
King’s Water Centre works to incubate, elevate, and empower the best science and innovation to tackle the world’s water problems.
Publications
- Zeoni, L. and Jalili, D. (2020) ‘Londra Mette L’artico Nel Mirino’, Limes, Revista Italiana di Geopolitica: 203-211
- Zeitoun, M., Mirumachi, N. & Warner, J. (2020) Water conflicts: Analysis for transformation. New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Mirumachi, N., Sawas, A. & Workman, M. (2020) 'Unveiling the security concerns of low carbon development: climate security analysis of the undesirable and unintended effects of mitigation and adaptation,' Climate and Development, 12(2): 97-109.
- Chin Yee, S. (2019) Climate change and human security: Case studies linking vulnerable populations to increased security risks in the face of the global climate challenge. Strategy Paper Eighteen. London: European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS).
- Chin-Yee, S. (2016) 'Briefing: Africa and the Paris climate change agreement', African Affairs, 115(459), April: 359-368.
- Dickman, A., Johnson, P., Coals, P., Harrington, L., Tyrrell, P., Somerville, K., Cotterill, A. & Whetham, D. (2020) ‘Wars over Wildlife: Green Militarisation and Just War Theory’, Conservation and Society, 18(3): 293-297.
- Winch, C., Clarke, L. & Sahin-Dikmen, M. (2020) 'Overcoming diverse approaches to vocational education and training to combat climate change: the case of low energy construction in Europe ', Oxford Review of Education, 46(5): 619-636.
- Bevan, L., Colley, T. and Workman, M. (2020) ‘Climate change strategic narratives in the UK: Emergency, Extinction, Effectiveness’, Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 69.
- Boas, I., Farbotko, C., Adams, H. et al. (2019) ‘Climate migration myths’, Nature Climate Change, 9: 901–903.
- Chin, W. (2019) ‘Technology, war and the state: past, present and future’, International Affairs 95(4), July: 765–783.
- Murphy , R, Pelling, M, Adams, H, Di Vincez, S & Visman, E. (2018) 'Survivor-Led Response: Local recommendations to operationalise building back better', International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, vol. 31: 135-142.
- Bushell, S., Buisson, G.S., Workman, M., and Colley, T. (2017) Strategic Narratives in Climate Change: Towards a Unifying Narrative to Address the Action Gap on Climate Change. In: Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 28: 39-49.
- Karagiannis, E. (2015) When the Green Gets Greener: Political Islam’s Newly Found Environmentalism, In: Small Wars and Insurgencies. 26(1): 181-201.
- Rapley, C. & De Meyer, K. (2014) 'Climate science reconsidered', Nature climate change, 4(9): 745-746.
Our partners
External partners:

Conflict and Environment Observatory
CEOBS was launched in 2018 and provides world-leading research on the environmental consequences of war and the role of environmental factors in triggering or driving insecurity. In doing so, it seeks to challenge the idea of the environment as a ‘silent victim of armed conflict'

PAX for Peace
PAX seeks to help reduce conflict and enhance peace through research, advocacy and policy work, including programmes dealing with the human rights violations and armed conflict that can stem from extraction and use of natural resources.

Dr Adam Day, Director of Programmes at United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (New York)
Adam is currently supporting a global risk assessment on climate security (led by the Adelphi group), as well as engaging in his own research and policy work on climate security and conflict prevention. He brings to his research practitioner experience in UN peace operations, political engagement in conflict settings, mediation and protection of civilians.

Dr Mark Workman, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London
Mark is a Visiting Lecturer at Energy Futures Lab, an Affiliate Researcher at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, and the Environment and Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, London. He is currently developing whole system analysis expertise around the following topics: resource systems, energy transitions, environmental and climate change, and violent conflict. He is also focusing on the processes of decision making under uncertainty and science communication around climate change. In addition to his research experience, Mark has undertaken military operational tours and extreme and high risk expeditions worldwide.
Related King's groups:

Climate, law and governance
The King’s Centre for Climate Law and Governance fosters interdisciplinary research about legal and governance approaches to the disruptive challenges of climate change and sustainability.

Environment & public policy
The Environment and Public Policy Group delivers theoretically and empirically grounded research focused on environmental issues and the energy transition.
King's climate hub
A cross-disciplinary home to research expertise on climate change across time and space.

King's water centre
King’s Water Centre works to incubate, elevate, and empower the best science and innovation to tackle the world’s water problems.

Group leads
Duraid Jalili
Lecturer
Joe Maiolo
Professor of International History
Maeve Ryan
Senior Lecturer in History and Grand Strategy