Environmental peacebuilding is a rapidly growing field of research and practice at the intersection of environment, conflict, peace and security. Focusing on these linkages is crucial in a time when the environment is a core issue of international politics and the number of armed conflicts remains high. This article introduces a special issue with a particular emphasis on environmental opportunities for building and sustaining peace. We first detail the definitions, theoretical assumptions and intellectual background of environmental peacebuilding. The article then provides context for the special issue by briefly reviewing core findings and debates of the first two generations of environmental peacebuilding research. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps that should be addressed in the next generation of research, and to which the articles in this special issue contribute: bottom-up approaches, gender, conflict-sensitive programming, use of big data and frontier technology, and monitoring and evaluation.

中文翻译：

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环境和平建设的过去和未来

环境和平建设是环境、冲突、和平与安全交叉领域的一个快速发展的研究和实践领域。在环境是国际政治的核心问题且武装冲突数量居高不下的时代，关注这些联系至关重要。本文介绍了一个特刊，特别强调建设和维持和平的环境机遇。我们首先详细介绍环境建设和平的定义、理论假设和知识背景。然后，本文通过简要回顾前两代环境建设和平研究的核心发现和辩论，为特刊提供背景。最后，我们确定了应该在下一代研究中解决的知识差距，