Researcher
Thor Olav Iversen
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Summary
Thor Olav Iversen is a development economist with rich experience in working with international affairs as both a practitioner and an academic. At NUPI, Iversen do research on the impact of climate change on conflict and security through the Climate-related Peace and Security Risks-project.
He also has a strong research interest pertaining to sciences and technology adjacent to the development and humanitarian field. In June 2023, Iversen defended my PhD dissertation in the field of theory of science with the title “Making world hunger legible: The politics of measuring global food insecurity”.
From 2015 to 2017, furthermore he worked as a regional programme officer at the UN World Food Programme. A pronounced feature of his academic life is furthermore love for dissemination and public debate, as he has significant experience as a journalist, editor and moderator of public conversations.
Expertise
Education
2023 PhD, Theory of Science, University of Bergen
2013 Master's degree, Economics, University of Bergen.
2010 Bachelor's degree, History, University of Bergen
2009 Bachelor's degree, Economics, University of Bergen
Work Experience
2023- Senior Research fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
2023 Journalist and editor, Agenda Magasin
2018-2023 PhD candidate, Centre for the Study of the Sciences and Humanities, University of Bergen
2015-2017 Regional programme officer, UN World Food Programme
2013-2015 Research assistant, Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) 2012 Trainee, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Seoul
Aktivitet
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Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet — Lake Chad*
Climate change and conflict are deeply intertwined in the Lake Chad region, where resource scarcity, displacement and erratic weather patterns fuel tensions between communities and increase vulnerability to extremist recruitment. This NUPI-SIPRI fact sheet investigates what the UN and its member states should focus on in order to improve the situation in the Lake Chad region.
Lutter contre l’insécurité liée au changement climatique dans la région du lac Tchad
This is a french translation of the report 'Responding to climate change-related insecurity in the Lake Chad region'
Environmental dimensions of conflict in the Lake Chad region
This report illuminates the environmental dimensions of conflict in the Lake Chad region by examining how insecurity impacts the environment and how conflict dynamics are shaped by environmental factors. It is a contribution to the CPS-Lake Chad Project, a partnership led by NUPI to study the effectiveness of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilisation Resilience and Recovery (RS-SRR). The report draws from published literature, field reports by project partners, remotely conducted interviews with regional experts, and satellite image analysis.
Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Afghanistan*
Afghanistan faces severe climate vulnerability while being more exposed to extreme weather events and natural hazards (including droughts and floods) than the global average. This has been compounded by environmental degradation caused by prolonged conflict, poor natural resource management and limited resilient infrastructure. Together with complex humanitarian and economic crises and mass returns of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan, all these factors deepen the population’s vulnerability to overlapping crises. * This is an updated version of the fact sheets on Afghanistan published in February 2022 and February 2023.
Responding to climate change-related insecurity in the Lake Chad region
In this report, the authors aim to contribute to generating evidence-based knowledge on the most effective strategies for preventing and managing climate-related conflict and instability. The focus in this report is on the Lake Chad region and its Regional Strategy for Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram-affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin Region (RS-SRR). An updated version was uploaded on 12 May 2026. The authors have identified three implementation gaps, and present eight recommendations to address them.
A region under pressure: Preventing climate change related conflict in the Lake Chad region
How can we best prevent and manage climate-related insecurity in one of the world's most vulnerable regions? In this episode of the NUPI podcast T...