Emma Hakala
Leading Researcher- climate security
- environmental security
- comprehensive security
- Western Balkans
- post-conflict cooperation
- security of supply
Emma Hakala is a Leading Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA). Her research focuses on environmental security and the geopolitics of climate change. Her recent peer-reviewed publications have addressed topics including the assessment practices of environmental impacts of conflicts, environment-related supply chain risks, and the role of the environment in Finland’s comprehensive security framework. Hakala is involved in projects such as Glowater, which examines global water risks, and HIIPUVA, which focuses on Atlantic Ocean circulation. She also led the project Climate Change and Finland’s Security of Supply from 2023 to 2026.
Hakala received her Doctor of Social Sciences degree in Political History from the University of Helsinki in 2018. Her doctoral dissertation examined environmental protection and the role of international organizations in the post-conflict Western Balkans. She spends 20% of her working time at the Ministry of the Environment, in the Unit for International and EU Affairs, where she works on environmental security issues. Previously, she held a similar position at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Hakala is also a member of the interdisciplinary BIOS Research Unit.
Degrees
Doctor of Social Sciences (Political history), University of Helsinki, 2018
M. Soc. Sci., B. Sc.
Language skills
Finnish, English, Swedish (working languages); French, German, Serbian (receptive skills)