The UN Security Council in conflict: how does the protection of the environment related to armed conflict fit into its structural and inequal dynamics?

Recent conflicts have emphasized the multidirectional linkages between the environment and conflicts and therefore peace and security. As the organ responsible for international peace and security issues, the UN Security Council has the mandate to tackle the environment- conflicts nexus. Although it has delivered several resolutions on a case-by-case basis, the UN Security Council has never included environmental protection through a thematic resolution. Such a resolution is crucial due to the current ecological crisis while the binding nature and implementation capacities of the Council would tangibly improve the current political and legal framework protecting the environment. Yet, obstacles resulting from the Council's mandate, functioning and structure prevent the adoption of a thematic resolution. This essay will attempt to explain these deadlocks and put into light the structural limits of the UN Security Council in terms of agenda- setting and policymaking.