ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue—it is a systemic driver of global conflict, vulnerability, and social tension. In this episode of Bridges and Beacons, guest host Dr. Michael Shank (Director of Programs at the Albert Einstein Institution and Carter School professor) sits down with Carter School PhD candidates Engy Said and Ashton Rohmer to explore the intersection of environmental policy, systemic conflict analysis, and climate action. Drawing from frontline crisis response, international policy, and urban planning, the panel examines how peacebuilding principles can transform our response to global climate disruptions.
Together, the panel discusses the necessity of applying systems thinking to climate solutions—from ensuring climate finance is conflict-sensitive to challenging traditional paradigms around green technology and urban mobility. They unpack how community-led initiatives, like neighborhood bike buses, shift the climate narrative from sacrifice to positive visioning. This conversation serves as a compelling call to action for future peacebuilders to apply their analytical tools, cross-disciplinary skills, and thought leadership toward building a more resilient, peaceful, and sustainable world.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Systems Thinking in Climate Action: How peacebuilding diagnostic tools uncover unintended consequences in technical solutions like EV adoption and carbon pricing.
- Conflict-Sensitive Climate Finance: The importance of designing policy and investments that learn directly from local communities to prevent resource-based tensions.
- Reimagining Public Spaces: How community-driven mobility models serve as a peaceful rehearsal for a fossil-free, human-centered future.
- The Peacebuilder’s Role: Why skills in mediation, stakeholder engagement, and cross-disciplinary translation are vital for climate adaptation and governance.
In Their Own Words:
- Dr. Michael Shank: "Climate change and global warming and the heating of our planet is impacting every single issue every Carter School student is focused on... Peace builders really have an opportunity to play an important role because we can't do any of this sustainability or climate action work if we're so fragmented."
- Engy Said: "Peacebuilders already have valuable skills that they bring to the table in this field: conflict analysis, mediation, dialogue facilitation, stakeholder engagement... Do not think that you have to be a climate scientist to work in climate change."
- Ashton Rohmer: "If you cannot picture the world you want, you will not build it... Thinking about a future from a peacebuilding perspective helps us imagine that a future is actually better than maybe what our present could be."
