Blogs & Opinions
Green Conflict Minerals: Investigating Renewable Energy Supply Chains in Fragile States
Sep 17, 2018
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Clare Church
The shift to a low-carbon economy is not only underway, it is accelerating. Last year, Costa Rica generated more than 99 percent of its electricity…
Is SAARC Prepared to Combat Climate Change and Its Security Risks?
Sep 6, 2018
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Florian Krampe and Ashok Swain
South Asia is extremely vulnerable to a range of climate impacts, ranging from shrinking glaciers and water scarcity to floods and rising sea levels. Shifting…
Blood Diamonds to Blockchain Diamonds?
Sep 3, 2018
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Forbes Africa
Do you know where your diamonds come from? Ethically-sourced minerals and gems have gained a lot of traction of late. And increasingly, globally, consumers want…
Time to Focus on Water Management in Arab World as Source of Growth and Stability
Aug 28, 2018
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Anders Jagerskog
In Gaza, the drinking water tastes like seawater. Years of neglect and poor management, due in large part to recurring conflicts, has led to the…
Destabilising Nature of Internal Water Wars
Aug 28, 2018
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Scott Moore
Nearly 15 years ago, the former head of India’s Central Water Commission warned that “hydro-politics is threatening the very fabric of federalism” in the world’s…
Artificial Intelligence: Our Next Ally against Environmental Risks
Aug 21, 2018
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Lou del Bello
A glance at one satellite map of the Peruvian Amazon is enough to grasp the scale of devastation humans are causing to one of Earth's…
How Metals and Minerals Play a Role in Funding Armed Groups in Africa
Aug 15, 2018
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Clare Church
The gold in our watches, the diamonds in our rings, the tin in our smartphones – all have been classified as conflict minerals, due to…
A Disappointing Afghanistan Fact: The Value of Land Grabs Peaks Seven Billion Dollars
Aug 15, 2018
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Shokrullah Amiri
Insurgency is a dilemma that has been linked to the name of Afghanistan for years with the drug mafia, corruption and now, unfortunately, land-grabs —…
Water Security in a New Age of Nationalism
Aug 14, 2018
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Giulio Boccaletti
The idea of a “new middle” or “third way”—a blend of neo-liberal economic doctrines and social policies that was supposed to overcome the dichotomy between…
How Resource Cooperation in Disputed Waters Can Be a Win-Win for China and the Philippines
Aug 14, 2018
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Lucio Blanco Pitlo III
Two years after a landmark ruling in their dispute over maritime territory in the South China Sea, the Philippines and China appear to be making subtle progress in…
Commentary: Think Outside of the Box to Tackle Water Scarcity
Aug 13, 2018
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Aloysius Chan
Water scarcity has been a ticking time bomb across the globe. Cape Town, one of Africa's most affluent metropolises, was on the brink of disaster when…
Iraq's Protests Are about More Than Corrupt Elites
Aug 8, 2018
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New Arab
Eleven people were killed during the protests that erupted in southern Iraq in early July, and over 800 others wounded. While corruption and the absence of basic…
A Rebuilt Economy Gives South Sudan Peace the Strongest Chance
Aug 6, 2018
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The National
The scenes of South Sudanese celebrating in the streets of Juba, matched by jubilation across the border in Khartoum, were both uplifting and inspiring as…
Is the World Ready for Eco-Refugee Waves?
Aug 4, 2018
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Shehab Al-Makahleh
The upshots of ecological changes may cause the movement of more than 25-30 million people in the coming decade. How can this be handled? It is…
Handover of the Tabqa Dam a Sign of Hope for Syrian Food and Water Security
Aug 1, 2018
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Phoebe Sleet
During July, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ceded control of Tabqa Dam to the Syrian Government in Damascus. The SDF have acted, while forces loyal to…
Mapping Climate Security: New Dashboard Tool Visualizes Complex Vulnerability in Asia
Jul 25, 2018
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Olivia Smith
In many parts of South and Southeast Asia, high population density and vulnerability to climate change combine with low levels of household resilience and poor…
Access to Water Continues to be Jeopardized for Millions of Children in War-Torn Yemen
Jul 24, 2018
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UNICEF
UNICEF deplores in the strongest terms yet another attack on vital and lifesaving water systems in Yemen. A large water facility in Sa’ada, northwest of the…
Protecting the Amazon Means Protecting Local Communities
Jul 23, 2018
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Aditi Sen
A recent report released by the government of Colombia highlights a 23% surge in deforestation in the country from 2016 to 2017, most notably in the Amazon…
Momentum Builds in the Fight for Land Rights in Guatemala: Making Us All a Bit Braver
Jul 20, 2018
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Shona Hawkes
In 2011, 769 families in the Polochic Valley in Guatemala were evicted to make way for the Chabil Utzaj sugar mill. Without land to farm and…
Is Pakistan Heading Towards a Civil War?
Jul 20, 2018
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Zeeshan Munir
Political fervor in Pakistan is on the rise. Elections 2018 are around corner and country is abuzz with political sloganeering, promises, hopes, blame-games and public…
Colombia's Price for Peace: Cocaine and the Environment
Jul 19, 2018
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Simeon Tegel
Sometimes winning the peace can be more complicated than winning the war. At least that seems to be the hard lesson that Colombia is learning as deforestation…
How Cocoa Farming Can Preserve Forests and Peace in Colombia
Jul 17, 2018
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Edward Davey
Victor Combita is a cocoa farmer and community leader from San José del Guaviare in the heart of the Colombian Amazon. For many years, his…
War, Drought, and Upstream Dams Hinder Water Access in Iraq
Jul 16, 2018
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Kayla Ritter
In Iraq, water availability has been both a casualty and a catalyst of conflict. Dams, canals, and other infrastructure were destroyed during years of war against Islamic…
Disaster-Focused Headlines from the Congo Often Hide Signs of Progress
Jul 13, 2018
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Molly Bergen
In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) northwestern city of Mbandaka, health workers spent recent months racing to contain the latest Ebola outbreak — including…
As Afghanistan’s Water Crisis Escalates, More Effective Water Governance Could Bolster Regional Stability
Jul 11, 2018
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Elizabeth B. Hessami
“Kabul be zar basha be barf ne!” This ancient proverb—“May Kabul be without gold rather than snow”—refers to snowmelt from the Hindu Kush Mountains, a…
Fanning the Flames – The Environmental Impact of Gaza’s Incendiary Kites
Jul 11, 2018
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Doug Weir
The 8th July marked 100 days since the first homemade incendiary kites were launched over Israel from Gaza. It also saw Israel promising punitive measures against…
A Pak-Afghan Water Treaty?
Jul 9, 2018
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Mashhood Hassan Azam Awan
The Indus River Basin is shared by four countries: Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and China. The water sector in this region faces certain challenges including the…
Open Mineral and ConsenSys Seek to Put the Blockchain in the Mineral Supply Chain
Jul 9, 2018
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Kyt Dotson
Open Mineral, an online metal and mineral exchange based in Switzerland, announced today the company’s upcoming launch of a distributed ledger blockchain platform to serve…
Trump Administration Threatens US Environmental Security
Jul 2, 2018
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Matthew King
Numerous articles have been written about how the Trump administration has been undermining federal regulatory agencies and their ability to ensure that Americans have access…
Confronting Afghanistan's Environmental Challenges
Jun 24, 2018
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Zia Nezam
Water scarcity, air and water pollution, deforestation, soil degradation, overgrazing, and desertification present daunting challenges, yet all can be ameliorated, as domestic and international development…