A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program

The Mining Town Funding Congo’s Rebels and Tech Giants (Reuters)

In April 2024, the M23 rebel group seized control of Rubaya, a mining town that produces 15% of the world’s coltan—a critical mineral worth used in mobile phones, computers, and aerospace components. Rebels imposed a parallel administration in the town, and placed a 15% tax on mineral traders that generates $800,000 monthly from levies. Thousands of impoverished miners in the town, however, still work 12-hour shifts in dangerous conditions earning just $5.15 per day.

Investigators report that Congolese minerals are trucked illegally to Rwanda, where the ore is mixed with Rwandan coltan production to disguise its origin before export to Asia. The profits help fund the insurgency, which is backed by Rwanda. Congo and Rwanda did signed a U.S.-brokered peace deal with President Trump promising billions in investment, yet separate talks in Qatar between Congo and M23 have stalled.

READ | Going Beyond “Conflict-free”: Transition Minerals Governance in DRC and Rwanda

The Collapse of the Mekong’s Megafish (The Guardian)

A new study published in Biological Conservation reveals the staggering impact of overfishing and industrial development on the Mekong River’s megafish. In just seven years (2007-2014), the largest freshwater giants shrank in size by 40% on average. Size-selective fishing also is throwing megafish populations into a death spiral, as larger fish are exponentially more reproductive. A 300kg catfish, for instance, produces 10-20 times more offspring than a 50kg fish.

 Multiple environmental pressures beyond overfishing now compound the crisis, though hope remains that proper conservation measures can make a difference. At present, dams block megafish migration to spawning grounds, climate change disrupts seasonal temperature and rainfall patterns, and destruction of seasonally flooded forests eliminates crucial habitats.

READ | The Struggle Against Plastic Choking the Mekong

New Delhi’s Waste Dumps Create Perilous Hot Zones for Informal Workers (Al-Jazeera)

Waste pickers at Delhi’s three major landfill sites (Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla) now face life-threatening working conditions as temperatures inside the dumps reach 158°F in summer. As decomposing organic waste creates a heat-island effect within these sites, tens of thousands of waste pickers continue to work as informal laborers without government recognition, health insurance, or stable income, earning money only by selling scavenged recyclable materials. These workers also must fashion their own inadequate safety gear as their gloves become unusable due to hand sweating in extreme heat. The result is exposure to toxic materials that allow them feed their families but simultaneously poison them.

Experts warn that current policy solutions like trash incineration will release toxic pollutants (including cancer-causing dioxins) and perhaps eliminate waste pickers’ livelihoods entirely. Environmental activists advocate instead for decentralized waste management systems that include segregation, ward-level composting, and robust recycling, as well as formalizing waste pickers’ roles with legal recognition, fair wages, and protective gear.

READ | The Quad Should Help India Address Its Most Pressing Security Challenge: Climate Change