COP26 and Climate Security

In the run up to COP26, the University of Queensland and the ESRG are working together to create open-access educational tools on climate security challenges and opportunities. These projects are funded by the King’s COP26 Engagement Fund and build upon the ongoing findings of the University of Queensland's “Climate Change and National Security: International Responses” project. Check out our COP26 podcast mini-series, hosted by Duraid Jalili and Matt McDonald.

Podcast mini-series

King's COP26 Engagement Fund

Climate Change and National Security: International Responses (2019–2023)

Ongoing Projects

Members of the group, either individually or in collaboration with partners, are working on a wide variety of research projects, on subjects including: environmental communications; climate resilience in small states; human migration dynamics; and military sustainability.

ESRC Funding Bid

The group is currently working towards the creation of a multi-disciplinary and cross-organisational funding bid for an ESRC Standard Grant, examining possible systems for communicating environmental security issues and enhancing sustainability across and between global security forces.

Resource Orders and Transitions in Global History

This collaborative project organised by Dr Mats Ingulstad of NTNU Trondheim, and Professor Joe Maiolo examines how changes in the exploitation of natural resources have shaped global politics and the environment, especially in transitions from one ‘resource order’ to another. Past changes have been associated with the industrial revolution and the development of global capitalism as well as shifts in the exploitation of hydrocarbons from coal to oil and gas. Such changes have had pronounced geopolitical, economic, legal and social repercussions, none the least of which is environmental and ecological degradation. The fundamental goal of this project is to analyse how these transitions occur in order to mitigate their negative consequences. The first of three planned workshops on the theme of ‘Raw Materials in International Politics’ will take place in June 2021.

Dr Mats Ingulstad

Professor Joe Maiolo

Gamification of Biodiversity Conservation and Security

As part of the social enterprise Tunza Games, ESRG member Dr Richard Milburn has been helping to enhance biodiversity conservation and security through gamification. To-date the project has focused on using Conservation Crisis, an educational board game and app that won the King’s UnLtd Award for social enterprise. In the game, players face the real-life challenges of conservation, from winning community support and training rangers to stop poachers, through to wider considerations such as engaging with corruption. To date, Conservation Crisis has been used in teaching within War Studies as well as outreach work with schools in the UK and global conservation NGOs. The project is now expanding its offering, utilising the same gamification process to deliver a range of activities for students and staff. For more information, please contact richard.milburn@kcl.ac.uk and/or environmental-security@kcl.ac.uk

National Resilience and Covid-19

Dr Rod Thornton and Dr Marina Miron are currently using a British Academy COVID-19 Small Grant along to examine the role of civil defence, paramilitary and military organisations across Europe in mitigating the effects of COVID-19. This research has been developed from ongoing work on states’ domestic resilience measures.

Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, the military input and what it may mean for the future use of biological weapons

Postgraduate Research

The Defence Studies Department encourages postgraduate research on environmental and resource security related topics. Recent PhD research includes examinations of: - The securitisation of contemporary energy security practice; - Mineral security, including EU legislation on phosphate fertilisers; - Antarctic international relations