PhD Candidate / Researcher

Research Interest
Environmental conflicts (resource scarcity vs. abundance, environmental impact of war, environmental refugees, resource certification systems, etc.). Climate Change as a security risk (hot spots, migration, counter-measures and their effects, energy security, environmental justice).

Background
After studying landscape architecture (graduating as an engineer in 1998), Denise Völker worked for eight years for the environmental organisation Greenpeace. As a participant in the international campaign for the protection of the last remaining ancient forests, she was responsible for planning and implementing campaigns, political work, negotiations with companies, and public relations, and led a variety of teams and projects.

Ancient forest protection is not only a question of ecology, it also very much concerns the people living on the ground. To give that aspect more weight in her work and to broaden her ecological focus, Denise Völker successfully completed the postgraduate Master of Peace and Security Studies (MPS) programme at the IFSH. Her master’s thesis was on “Environmental changes and conflict in Amazonia”.

Within the framework of the University of Hamburg’s “Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction” (CliSAP) project, she is currently working on her doctoral thesis, which is entitled “Forest protection: a factor for conflict? – Analysis of the impact of forest protection measures on conflict structures in selected regions of the Amazon basin”.

Languages
German, English

Current Project
Exzellenzcluster Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction (CliSAP)
http://www.clisap.de/
Research Group Climate Change and Securityt

Contact
Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik
Beim Schlump 83
D-20144 Hamburg
Phone: +49-40-866077-42
Fax: +49-40-866 3615
E-mail: voelker@ifsh.de