Human Security under Climate Stress: Environmental Peacebuilding Pathways in Somalia

Mohamed Yusuf Adan^*

• Mogadishu University, Mogadishu, Somalia

Somalia offers a critical case for understanding how climate change undermines human security and peace in fragile states. This study examines the ways in which climate-induced environmental stress disrupts pathways toward sustainable peace by analyzing three interconnected mechanisms: escalating inter-clan disputes over land and water, increasing tensions between displaced populations and host communities, and the exploitation of livelihood vulnerabilities by armed groups. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of academic literature, United Nations and NGO reports, and national policy documents, the study systematically traces how climate stress amplifies insecurity across economic, community, and political dimensions. Findings reveal that climate change functions as a threat multiplier, intensifying resource competition, displacement pressures, and governance fragility. The paper introduces the Environmental Peacebuilding Pathways Framework, which conceptualizes how conflict-sensitive climate adaptation can reinforce resilience and cooperation in fragile contexts. The study contributes theoretically by bridging human security and environmental peacebuilding perspectives, empirically by contextualizing the Somali experience within broader climate-security debates, and practically by offering policy guidance for integrating peacebuilding with climate adaptation in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13.