• woodrow wilson center
  • ecsp

New Security Beat

Subscribe:
  • mail-to
  • Who We Are
  • Topics
    • Population
    • Environment
    • Security
    • Health
    • Development
  • Columns
    • China Environment Forum
    • Choke Point
    • Dot-Mom
    • Navigating the Poles
    • New Security Broadcast
    • Reading Radar
  • Multimedia
    • Water Stories (Podcast Series)
    • Backdraft (Podcast Series)
    • Tracking the Energy Titans (Interactive)
  • Films
    • Water, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (Animated Short)
    • Paving the Way (Ethiopia)
    • Broken Landscape (India)
    • Scaling the Mountain (Nepal)
    • Healthy People, Healthy Environment (Tanzania)
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Contact Us

NewSecurityBeat

The blog of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program
  • Eye On

    ECSP Weekly Watch | October 30—November 3

    November 3, 2023 By Angus Soderberg
    ECSP Weekly Watch Graphic (Email Background)
     
    A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

    Panama Canal’s Water Woes Threaten International Trade Flow

    The Panama Canal has operated as a gateway between the Atlantic to the Pacific for more than a century, relying on water to raise and lower the ships that help fuel international trade. But a recent drought has disrupted the normal functioning of the Canal’s locks, cutting into Panama’s revenue and also causing problems for global supply chains.

    While Panama has a naturally wet climate, its rainfall has fallen to 30% below average this year. Although this has been partially attributed to the impact of the current El Niño weather event, the reduced precipitation follows nearly all current climate change projections for the region.

    The drought is also forcing the Panamanian government to confront an already precarious balance between the needs of the canal and its residents. There are plans to build a new reservoir, but without a sustainable water supply, the canal could face increasing competition from alternative trade routes.

    LISTEN | New Security Broadcast | US Climate Envoy John Kerry on the Importance of Our Oceans

     

    President Biden’s 2023 Women, Peace, and Security Strategy (WPS)

    The Biden Administration’s 2023 WPS strategy emphasizes the importance of women’s meaningful participation, leadership, and engagement in decision-making as “a moral and strategic imperative for U.S. foreign policy and national security.”

    Shifts in the international landscape—including climate change—are reflected in the strategy’s  five core focal points: promoting participation, protection of human rights, relief, response, and recovery, integration and institutionalization, and building partnerships to enhance WPS principles across broader policies and strategies.

    The Biden Administration has already taken significant steps to advance its WPS agenda. Among these ongoing efforts are seeking improved women’s participation in the U.S. military, strengthening women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution in Ukraine, and embedding the WPS in defense engagements and agendas on the global stage.

    READ | What Does a Biden-Harris White House Mean for Women and Girls? Everything.

     

    African Weather Perils: Sparse Weather Stations Put Lives at Risk

    Severe flooding and landslides in May near Lake Kivu (which is shared between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) resulted in at least 600 deaths and significant damage, primarily due to a lack of early warning systems.

    Many African nations lack access to both sufficient weather data and early warning systems. The result is a disproportionate number of flood-related deaths in these areas. The Global Commission on Adaptation notes that just 24 hours of notice before an extreme weather event can reduce total damage by 30%.

    These disasters are a reminder that investment in weather observation and early warnings is crucial for Africa and other vulnerable regions to protect human life and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events linked to climate change.

    READ | Water @ Wilson Event | Water, Peace, & Security: New Tools for a New Climate

    Sources: International Trade Administration, Reuters, NYT, NSB, La Prensa, The White House, Yale e360, WMO, Scientific American

    Topics: climate change, development, economics, environment, environmental security, Eye On, international environmental governance, risk and resilience, security, water, water security

Join the Conversation

  • RSS
  • subscribe
  • facebook
  • G+
  • twitter
  • iTunes
  • podomatic
  • youtube
Tweets by NewSecurityBeat

Trending Stories

  • unfccclogo1
  • Pop at COP: Population and Family Planning at the UN Climate Negotiations

Featured Media

Backdraft Podcast

play Backdraft
Podcasts

More »

What You're Saying

  • Ocean Fish Stocks on “Verge of Collapse,” Says IRIN Report Ocean Fish Stocks on “Verge of Collapse,” Says IRIN Report
    M. Brian Palmer: This started in Canada with the constant retorts there was no way the Cod could ever collapse, well...
  • Group,Of,Young,Black,African,Villagers,In,Colourful,Traditional,Dresses Youth Led Social Accountability – Case Studies and Challenges
    Balaji Kartha: What do the young do if they find they were born in a prison and there is no way to get out?!
  • 52117422323_d46e6410d6_k(1) What Will it Take to Actually Eliminate Cervical Cancer?
    Peruth Mwesigwa K Mbaze : Thank you for invitation /Connections

Related Stories

  • ECSP Weekly Watch Graphic (Email Background)ECSP Weekly Watch | October 9 – 13
  • ECSP Weekly Watch Graphic (Email Background)ECSP Weekly Watch | October 16 – 20
  • ECSP Weekly Watch Graphic (Email Background)ECSP Weekly Watch | October 2 – 6
  • woodrow
  • ecsp
  • RSS Feed
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Wilson Center
  • Contact Us
  • Print Friendly Page

© Copyright 2007-2023. Environmental Change and Security Program.

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. All rights reserved.

Developed by Vico Rock Media

Environmental Change and Security Program

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

  • One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
  • 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  • Washington, DC 20004-3027

T 202-691-4000