Stories and Strategies from the Frontlines
The Climate Security Mechanism at the United Nations and the UN System Staff College, with the support of Berghof Foundation, are launching Climate, Crisis, and Courage, a limited podcast series that brings the realities of climate-related security risks to life.
Climate, Crisis, and Courage is designed as a high-impact, human-centred product that brings out real-world stories from the affected context, highlights connections across climate and peace, and showcases practitioner and community voices.
At its heart, this podcast tells the stories of climate, peace and security from the perspective of those living and working where the impacts are felt every day. Listeners will hear directly from advisors, practitioners, local partners and community voices, about how climate stressors disrupt livelihoods, fuel tensions, or drive migration – and how communities are finding ways to adapt, prevent conflict, and build peace.
Over six episodes, the series will connect the dots between the global and the local: from international policy discussions to regional cooperation to the lived experiences of communities on the frontlines.
Each episode focuses on a sub-theme, unpacked through concrete stories and lessons, whether it’s a farmer deciding whether to migrate, a community negotiating over scarce water, or an advisor navigating fragile political landscapes. The format is designed to be accessible, engaging and reflective.
Trailer
Host
Nazanine Moshiri
Climate, peace and security expert
and former international journalist
(S1-E1) South Sudan: Floods, Conflict, and Finding Higher Ground
The pilot episode introduces the concept of climate, peace and security and the UN’s work on it. It serves as a primer on what climate, peace and security means at the United Nations, and why it matters.
It then discusses this through one of the most tangible examples: South Sudan’s devastating floods in areas where resource competition and armed group presence already strain social cohesion. It weaves together the story of communities responding to climate-driven insecurities, the challenges on local peacebuilding amid humanitarian crises, and the UN’s evolving role in integrating climate risk into peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
To help us understand why and what it means for communities on the ground, Nazanine Moshiri speaks to Johnson Nkem from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and Repent Taban from the Nile Sustainable Development Organization.
(S1-E2) From Islands to Highlands : Climate, Identity, and Security in the Pacific
The episode explores what climate, peace and security means in one of the world’s most climate-exposed regions where climate change is not a distant threat, but a lived reality shaping land, livelihoods and identity.
It unpacks how rising seas, extreme weather, and environmental pressures intersect with governance, culture, and geopolitical dynamics in the Pacific, from regional frameworks to community-level experiences in Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. Through voices from the region, the episode highlights how climate risks translate into security challenges, while also showcasing Pacific-led responses, from local resilience practices to regional leadership shaping global agendas.
Nazanine Moshiri speaks to Jamie Tarawa, UNDP Climate Security Advisor to the Pacific Island Forum, via the CSM and Dr. Jeffrey Noro, Executive Director of the Kainake Project.
(S1-E3) Haiti: Resilience Amid Gang Violence and Climate Shocks
This episode explores Climate, Peace and Security in Haiti. The Caribbean country is living through overlapping crises, where violence and instability are being intensified by climate shocks and environmental degradation.
We look at how these pressures play out in day-to-day life, and how this affects Port-au-Prince differently from other areas.
We also hear how Haitians are responding with practical solutions that protect livelihoods, reduce tensions, and strengthen resilience. Nazanine Moshiri speaks to Paul Judex Eduarzin, Governance Specialist, UNEP Haiti and Robert Muggah, Founder Igarapé Institute.
With the support of
Fabio Bruno, Audio Producer and Podcast Expert