Wilson Center Experts
Geoffrey D. Dabelko
Senior Advisor, Environmental Change and Security Program
Environmental Change and Security Program
Contact Information:
Expertise:
Environment
; Biodiversity
; Climate
; Environmental Peacebuilding
; Environmental Security
; Forests
; Water
; Global Health
; Environmental Health
; Population
Affiliation:
Director of Environmental Studies, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, Ohio University
Geoffrey D. Dabelko is director of environmental studies at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. He joined the School in August 2012 and was previously director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program. He remains a senior advisor to the Environmental Change and Security Program and is also an adjunct professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
For more than 20 years, he has brought together policymakers, practitioners, journalists, and scholars grappling with complex links among environment, population, development, conflict, and security. His current research focuses on climate change, natural resources, and security as well as environmental pathways to confidence- and peace-building, with a special emphasis on water resources.
Geoff has held prior positions with the Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Policy, and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He currently works on two Wilson Center efforts supported by USAID: the Health, Environment, Livelihoods, Population, and Security (HELPS) Project and the Resources for Peace Project. Geoff is co-editor with Ken Conca of Environmental Peacemaking and Green Planet Blues: Four Decades of Global Environmental Politics (4th edition). He is an IPCC lead author for the 5th assessment (Working Group II, Chapter 12), and member of the UN Environment Programme’s Expert Advisory Group on Environment, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. He holds an AB in political science from Duke University and a Ph.D. in government and politics from the University of Maryland.
Major Publications
- Ken Conca and Geoffrey D. Dabelko, Eds. 2010. Green Planet Blues: Four Decades of Global Environmental Politics. (Boulder, CO: Westview).
- Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2009. "Avoid Hyperbole, Oversimplificiation when Climate and Security Meet" Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (August 24).
- Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2009. "Planning for Climate Change: The Security Community's Precautionary Principle" Climatic Change Vol 96 (1): 13.
- Kent Hughes Butts and Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2009. "One Way to Boost US-China Military Cooperation" Christian Science Monitor (April 21).
- Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2008. "An Uncommon Peace: Environment, Development, and the Global Security Agenda." Environment Vol. 50 (3): 32-45.
- Karin Bencala and Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2008. "Water Wars: Obscuring Opportunities." Journal of International Affairs Vol. 61 (2): 21-33.
- Coleen Vogel, Susanne C. Moser, Roger E. Kasperson, and Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2007. "Linking Vulnerability, Adaptation and Resilience Science to Practice: Players, Pathways and Partnerships." Global Environmental Change (17): 349–364.
- Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2005. "Speaking their Language: How to Communicate Better with Policymakers and Opinion Shapers – and Why Academics Should Bother in the First Place" International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law, and Economics 5:4 (December): 381-386.
- Aaron T. Wolf, Annika Kramer, Alexander Carius and Geoffrey D. Dabelko "Managing Water Conflict and Cooperation", State of the World 2005: Redefining Global Security (Norton, 2005): 80-95.
- Ken Conca, Alexander Carius, and Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2005. "Building Peace Through Environmental Cooperation," with Ken Conca and Alexander Carius, State of the World 2005: Redefining Global Security (Norton): 144-155.
- Alexander Carius and Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2004. "Institutionalizing Responses to Environment, Conflict, and Cooperation," Understanding Environment, Conflict, and Cooperation (Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme): 21-33.
- Ken Conca and Geoffrey D. Dabelko, Eds. 2004. Green Planet Blues: Global Environmental Politics From Stockholm to Johannesburg, 3rd Ed, (Boulder, CO: Westview Press).
- Geoffrey D. Dabelko, Ed. Environmental Change and Security Program Report (annual journal).
- Ken Conca and Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 2002. Environmental Peacemaking, (Washington and Baltimore: Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins University Press).
- Geoffrey D. Dabelko. 1999. "The Environmental Factor," The Wilson Quarterly, 23:4 (Autumn,): 14-19.
Related Content for this Expert
Environment Roundtable: Responding to Climate Change & Syria Update
May 29, 2013 to Jun 04, 2013
We convene our environment roundtable for a discussion of unintended consequences resulting from efforts to respond to climate change with Geoff Dabelko, Lisa Friedman, and Stacy Vandeveer. Also, Aaron David Miller joins us for a Syria update. more
Backdraft: The Conflict Potential of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (Report Launch)
May 16, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am
Amid the growing number of reports warning that climate change threatens security, one potentially dangerous – but counterintuitive – dimension has been largely ignored. Could efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and lower our vulnerability to climate change inadvertently exacerbate existing conflicts? more
Backdraft: The Conflict Potential of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
May 14, 2013Amid the growing number of reports warning that climate change threatens security, one potentially dangerous – but counterintuitive – dimension has been largely ignored. Could efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and lower our vulnerability to climate change inadvertently exacerbate existing conflicts? more
Climate Change and Migration in Mexico: A Report Launch
February 15, 2013 // 9:00am — 10:30am
The conversation around immigration and Mexico has long been tied to the United States and the prevailing economic conditions in both countries. But a new report from the Royal United Services Institute argues that as temperatures rise and precipitation patterns change over the course of the next century, climate too will increasingly become a driver of both internal and international migration in Mexico. more
Seven Ways 7 Billion People Affect the Environment and Security
Jan 11, 2013Today’s population of 7 billion people has a significant impact on the planet’s natural resources and on global security. Seven critical challenges—security, climate change, water scarcity, food insecurity, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and future population growth—are affected by population dynamics in complex ways that demand holistic solutions. One effective and relatively inexpensive way to meet these challenges is to empower women by improving their access to education and health care, including family planning. more
Environment Roundtable & Foreign Policy: Obama's Second Term
Jan 23, 2013 to Jan 29, 2013
Darryl Fears, Bob Deans, and Geoff Dabelko join our environment roundtable segment for a discussion on climate change in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Also, we take a look at what we might expect in the foreign policy arena during President Obama’s second term with Washington Post Associate Editor and Columnist, David Ignatius. more
Are You a Budget Hero? OHIO University Students to Play Popular Online Budget Game
October 11, 2012 // 3:30pm — 5:30pm
Students from OHIO University will play and debate their results from the newly updated online game, Budget Hero: Election Edition. (This event takes place at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio).
more
Beyond Seven Billion: Reporting on Population, Environment, and Security
October 09, 2012 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm
“When I embarked on this series, I approached it as an environmental reporter: What does a growing number of us and growing consumption mean for our planet?” said Los Angeles Times reporter Ken Weiss at the Wilson Center on October 9. Weiss, along with photographer Rick Loomis, recently completed a five-part series and multimedia presentation on global population that was the culmination of a year of research and travel through more than six countries. more
Best of Both Worlds: Moving On, But Staying With ECSP
Aug 20, 2012I have a bit of news to share. After 15 years at the Wilson Center, I will be moving back to my home town of Athens, Ohio, this fall to become a professor at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs where I will serve as director of environmental studies and work in their campus-wide Consortium on Energy, Economics, and the Environment. more
Sizzling Summer: Is This What Climate Change Feels Like?
Jul 25, 2012In the wake of triple-digit heat and the sixth worst drought on record, many are wondering if this is what climate change feels like. With predictions suggesting this may be the new normal, we are also left to wonder about how prepared we are for increasingly extreme weather. Geoff Dabelko, Director of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program, provides some perspective. more
Pages
Best of Both Worlds: Moving On, But Staying With ECSP
Aug 20, 2012I have a bit of news to share. After 15 years at the Wilson Center, I will be moving back to my home town of Athens, Ohio, this fall to become a professor at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs where I will serve as director of environmental studies and work in their campus-wide Consortium on Energy, Economics, and the Environment.
Sizzling Summer: Is This What Climate Change Feels Like?
Jul 25, 2012In the wake of triple-digit heat and the sixth worst drought on record, many are wondering if this is what climate change feels like. With predictions suggesting this may be the new normal, we are also left to wonder about how prepared we are for increasingly extreme weather. Geoff Dabelko, Director of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program, provides some perspective.
Four Takeaways from the Global Water Security Intelligence Assessment
Mar 27, 2012The just-released unclassified National Intelligence Council report on water and security is a positive contribution to understanding these complex and interconnected ecological, social, economic, and political issues around water.
What Would It Take To Help People and the Planet?
Feb 01, 2012We must ask whether investments to protect biologically rich areas are effective and sustainable if they don’t respond to the many needs of the people who live there, writes ECSP Director Geoff Dabelko in a column for Momentum magazine.
Seven Ways Seven Billion People Affect the Planet
Oct 31, 2011Seven billion people now live on earth, only a dozen years after global population hit six billion. But the seven billion milestone is not about sheer numbers: Demographic trends will significantly impact the planet’s resources and peoples’ security.
Environment, Conflict, and Cooperation: Scoping Gaps and Opportunities for Research and Policy Agendas
December 02, 2003 // 11:00pm
A diverse group of international practitioners, policymakers, and researchers gather at the Wilson Center to analyze the gaps and opportunities for research and policy agendas in the growing field of environmental conflict and cooperation.
Environmental Film Festival Screening: The Burning Season
March 18, 2010 // 12:00pm — 2:00pm
Every year vast tracks of Indonesian rainforest are cut down and set alight to develop palm oil plantations. The Burning Season is the story of Dorjee Sun, a young man not afraid to confront one of the biggest challenges of our time.
How To Manage Environmental Conflict in the Face of Climate Change
November 12, 2009 // 1:00pm — 4:00pm
Latin American and North American experts analyze policy changes and inter-sectoral cooperative efforts to better manage local environmental disputes and mitigate contentious issues.
Future Shock: How Environmental Change and Human Impact Are Changing the Global Map
March 04, 2008 // 9:00am — 10:30am
Four expert speakers examine the security threats posed by global phenomena including migration, demographic change, water scarcity, and environmental degradation, seeking to shed light on the causes of certain conflicts and help governments prevent domestic and regional upheaval.
Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, and Conflict Prevention: A Roundtable Discussion to Identify Policy and Programming Options
November 01, 2007 // 12:00pm — 3:00pm
Experts from diverse fields—including conflict prevention, environment, humanitarian relief, development, and the military— discuss potential policy and programming responses to the security implications of climate change.
Photography Exhibit and Reception: Water Stories: A Focus on Mexico
October 11, 2007 // 5:00pm — 7:00pm
More than 1 billion people lack access to potable water and more than 2.6 billion do not have adequate sanitation. "Water Stories: A Focus on Mexico" offers a vivid glimpse of the lives that lie behind these statistics.
Teaching Environment, Population, and Security: Workshop for Faculty of Military Education Institutions
May 22, 2007 // 9:00am — 5:00pm
Faculty at military education institutions debate military roles in responding to environmental security challenges, assess policy implications of this involvement, and identify topics for further research.
Special Briefing for the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water Supply and Sanitation
May 08, 2007 // 8:30am — 9:45am
ECSP organizes a special briefing for the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water Supply and Sanitation to offer perspectives on U.S.-based efforts on global water supply and sanitation services.
Environment, Conflict, and Cooperation
April 03, 2007 // 3:30pm — 5:30pm
Better management of natural resources could pave a path for peace in war-torn societies, or, conversely, mismanagement could trigger a relapse back into conflict.
Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change
March 27, 2007 // 9:00am — 12:00pm
The State Library of Victoria and ECSP co-sponsor a half-day conference in Melbourne, Australia, exploring Australia's public- and private-sector efforts to address climate change, and placing those efforts in the context of broader regional and international action.
Pages
ECSP Report 11: Table of Contents and Foreword
Jul 07, 2011Environmental pathways to peace can emerge at the unlikeliest of times—even during conflict, when managing shared environmental resources can be an important lifeline connecting combatants cut off from other avenues for dialogue, writes Environmental Change and Security Program Director Geoff Dabelko.
Population and Conflict: Exploring the Links
Jul 07, 2011Complete set of commentaries exploring the links between population and conflict by authors Henrik Urdal, Sarah Staveteig, Valerie M. Hudson, Andrea M. den Boer, and Monica Duffy Toft.
ECSP Report 10: Introduction
Jul 07, 2011To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the 10th edition of the newly redesigned ECSP Report asked top thinkers to identify the next steps for environment, population, and security. Table of Contents and Foreword.
The Next Steps for Environment, Population, and Security: Introduction
Jul 07, 2011ECSP Director Geoff Dabelko introduces commentary on the future of environmental security.
Water, Conflict, and Cooperation
Jul 07, 2011The UN system and its partners have ripe opportunities to capitalize on water’s cooperation promise while undercutting its conflict potential, write Alexander Carius, Geoffrey Dabelko, and Aaron Wolf in their policy brief.
Commentary: What Is To Be Done At Johannesburg?
Jul 07, 2011Table of Contents, Foreword, and Commentaries on Johannesburg.
ECSP Report 7: Reviews of New Publications
Jul 07, 2011Experts review new publications.
Environmental Peacemaking
Jul 07, 2011How can environmental cooperation be used to bolster regional peace? A large body of research suggests that environmental degradation may catalyze violent conflict. Environmental cooperation, in contrast, has gone almost unexplored as a means of peacemaking, even though it opens several effective channels: enhancing trust, establishing habits of cooperation, lengthening the time horizons of decisionmakers, forging cooperative trans-societal linkages, and creating shared regional norms and identities.More about this title can be found on the Wilson Center Press website.
Pages
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
Environment Roundtable: Responding to Climate Change & Syria Update
May 29, 2013 to Jun 04, 2013
We convene our environment roundtable for a discussion of unintended consequences resulting from efforts to respond to climate change with Geoff Dabelko, Lisa Friedman, and Stacy Vandeveer. Also, Aaron David Miller joins us for a Syria update.
Environment Roundtable & Foreign Policy: Obama's Second Term
Jan 23, 2013 to Jan 29, 2013
Darryl Fears, Bob Deans, and Geoff Dabelko join our environment roundtable segment for a discussion on climate change in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Also, we take a look at what we might expect in the foreign policy arena during President Obama’s second term with Washington Post Associate Editor and Columnist, David Ignatius.
Integrating Development: A Livelihood Approach to Population, Health, and the Environment
May 02, 2011 to May 08, 2011
Geoff Dabelko, Director of the Wilson Centers Environmental Change and Security Program, Roger-Mark De Souza, Vice President for Research and Director of the Climate Program for Population Action International, and George Strunden, Vice President of Africa Programs for the Jane Goodall Institute.
Integrating Development: A Livelihood Approach to Population, Health, and the Environment
Apr 18, 2011 to Apr 24, 2011
Geoff Dabelko, Director of the Wilson Centers Environmental Change and Security Program, Roger-Mark De Souza, Vice President for Research and Director of the Climate Program for Population Action International, and George Strunden, Vice President of Africa Programs for the Jane Goodall Institute.
Wilson Roundtable: Countdown to Copenhagen
Feb 22, 2010 to Feb 28, 2010
Geoff Dabelko, Director, Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Michael MacCracken of the Climate Institute, and John Broder of the New York Times
Wilson Roundtable: Countdown to Copenhagen
Jan 04, 2010 to Jan 10, 2010
Geoff Dabelko, Director, Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Michael MacCracken of the Climate Institute, and John Broder of the New York Times
