The ECC Factbook is an online tool that informs both policymakers and the general public about over 100 conflicts with an environmental dimension. It seeks to contribute to preventing, transforming and resolving these types of conflicts by helping users to better understand the drivers behind environmental conflict and to harness the lessons from earlier (non-) interventions.

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Featured case - Changing Power, Changing Tides: Conflicts over Water in the Nile Basin

In a new video and extended case coverage we explore the complex dynamics surrounding conflicts over the Nile’s water. From the Great Lakes of East Africa to the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile runs through 11 countries, covering a distance of almost 7000 km, providing freshwater to some 400 million people.

The river has also become emblematic of transboundary water disputes, pitting upstream development ambitions against downstream fears over water security. A changing balance of power between riparians shapes current developments.

Using maps specifically created for the video as well as the extensive factsheet information, this video provides an accessible yet thorough primer to one of the world’s most important water conflicts.

New cases & articles

Beyond the extended case coverage of the Nile, three new cases are especially noteworthy: two new cases analyse local water conflicts as well as public discontent in Yemen, whereas a third new case examines the interplay of climatic changes and fragility in northern Mali.
In addition, a blog post from Benjamin Pohl drawing on several ECC Factbook cases explores the influence of climate change on some of the world’s most pressing conflicts according to the International Crisis Group’s (ICG) 2016 list of ‘conflicts to watch’.

New features

Since the last ECC Newsletter, we have added four exciting new features to the ECC Factbook:

1. Assorted Maps: Explore specific case selections, for example all conflicts related to climate change, dam-building or mining and save the URLs of your own selections.
2. Background on resolution strategies: To provide easier access to potential and tried resolution strategies, we have extended the conflict resolution strategy display to allow much more contextual information to be displayed. We are in the process of extending this more detailed information across all cases.
3. Commenting Functionality: The commenting button on the right of all factsheets is the entry point to a commenting functionality, which allows users to challenge a case narrative and/or to point to additional information. We are very much looking forward to seeing you use this feature for discussion and collaborative improvement.
4. Dossier Functionality Update: For easier offline usage, we have improved the dossier functionality, which now allows for a comprehensive pdf export of all of the most important case information. Check out a selection of all Nile-related cases here.