From conflict to reconciliation: UN calls to see climate harmony as security, stability

Hyderabad: Every year, on September 21, the International Day of Peace, the world pauses to reflect on conflict and reconciliation.

Yet in today’s India, peace is not only about diplomacy or border security. It is also about whether crops survive erratic monsoons, whether the Yamuna and Musi rivers can still sustain life and whether urban air remains breathable for children. Without ecological stability, social harmony quickly frays.

As António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, has said: “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century.” His warning is global, but its urgency is evident in India’s daily struggles with pollution, heat and resource stress.

Why the environment Is a peace issue

Climate shocks as stress multipliers: The Indian Meteorological Department reports that heatwaves are growing longer and more frequent. These stresses increase farmer debt and migration, which in turn heightens rural–urban tensions.

Disasters and displacement: Cyclones on the east coast regularly displace millions, forcing families into crowded relief camps where competition for resources can fuel local disputes.

Pollution and inequality: Air pollution in Indian cities is not evenly felt. Construction workers, traffic police, and street vendors often suffer the worst impacts, linking environmental injustice to social divisions.

The IPCC notes that climate change alone does not cause conflict, but it makes fragile situations worse. In India, where livelihoods are deeply tied to land and water, this risk multiplier is especially sharp.

Local expert perspectives

Dr Rukmini Reddy, Environmental Policy Scholar, speaking to NewsMeter, said, “Every water shortage in a Hyderabad colony is essentially a conflict. People may not call it war, but the shouting at tankers or queues at public taps are daily reminders of how fragile peace is when nature fails.”

“Environmental peacebuilding is not abstract. When wildlife corridors are cut, villagers bear the brunt through crop raids and cattle loss. Frustration often turns into hostility against both animals and forest officers. Protecting ecosystems reduces this everyday conflict.” Dr Reddy added.

Aditi Sharma, a climate activist said, “Peace requires fairness. If climate action ignores the poor, the waste picker, the slum dweller, the migrant, then environmental measures can create more resentment, not less. Justice in green policies is part of social peace.”

Father Joseph VK, a social worker, said, “In some villages, community tree-planting drives have reduced quarrels over land boundaries. When people agree that the trees belong to all, it builds cooperation. The shade and fruit benefit everyone, so conflicts cool down too.”

Paths to peace with nature

1. Shared Resource Governance

Cross-village watershed projects in Telangana have shown that when farmers manage groundwater collectively, extraction is more sustainable and disputes decline.

2. Nature-Based Disaster Protection

Mangrove restoration along the Andhra coast has acted as a natural shield against cyclones, reducing damage and thereby easing the tensions that follow disaster relief distribution.

3. Urban Green Planning

Expanding public parks and tree cover lowers urban heat stress. It also provides safe communal spaces, which researchers link to reduced crime and social tension.

4. Community Rights

Securing land rights for tribal communities in Odisha and Chhattisgarh has improved forest health and lowered clashes over access to firewood and grazing.

What citizens can do

Water stewardship: Revive traditional rainwater harvesting systems and reduce dependence on tankers.

Everyday choices: Using public transport, reducing plastic waste, or composting household waste all reduce pressure on common resources.

Participatory action: Joining lake clean-ups, urban afforestation drives, or citizen science projects builds collective responsibility.

Conclusion

On this International Day of Peace, India’s message must go beyond ceasefires and border talks.

True peace will depend on whether we reduce the ‘silent conflicts’ unfolding in our fields, rivers, and air. As one Hyderabad-based ecologist recently remarked: “Peace treaties end wars between people. Peace with nature prevents wars within society.”

Making peace with the planet is therefore not charity or symbolism; it is security, stability, and survival.