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

Bolivian Presidential Vote Raises Environmental Concerns (Associated Press)

Bolivia’s presidential runoff election on October 19 between centrist Senator Rodrigo Paz and right-wing former president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga has seen both candidates promise change. Yet Indigenous and environmental leaders remain skeptical that either hopeful will effectively address Bolivia’s severe environmental crises.

Former president Evo Marales’ government vowed to implement environmental protections, but his administration loosened land-cleared restrictions, promoted infrastructure projects that opened Amazon frontiers, and eased burning rules leading to massive wildfires which scorched over 10 million hectares between 2019 and 2024.

READ | Nature-based Solutions: Latin America and the Caribbean’s Green Opportunity

Plastics Treaty in Limbo After Talks Fail in Geneva (The Guardian)

After working past an August 14th deadline, global negotiations to create a legally binding treaty ending plastic pollution failed last week in Geneva. The 184 participating countries remained deadlocked on the core issue that has plagued talks since 2022: whether to reduce plastic production growth and impose global controls on toxic chemicals used in creating them.

Delegates also left with no clear timeline for resumed talks, as some questioned whether the present consensus-based system could get beyond the efforts of dedicated obstructionists. Several negotiators suggested moving forward without petrostate participation, or adopting voting mechanisms rather than requiring consensus. The current approach was described by some observers as a blow to multilateralism, and success potentially required a fundamentally new dynamic in efforts regulate plastics’ harmful effects.

READ | Will the Global Plastics Treaty Safeguard Health?

Climate Change: Impacts on Mental Health? (Mongabay)

Beyond its broad physical impacts, the UN reports that climate change also is severely eroding mental health worldwide. Social workers report that anxiety and depression have become common as people’s resilience disappears. In Nigeria alone, psychologists report

treating greater numbers of women and children daily for trauma after a catastrophic climate-induced flooding displaced 2 million people.

Mental health experts emphasize that effective climate psychology interventions must be culturally sensitive and community-led, with the aid of local volunteers who understand how to approach distressed populations appropriately. Success stories have emerged from places like Bhutan, where strong social cohesion and government leadership help communities maintain resilience despite increasing climate threats.

READ | As Droughts, Floods, Die-Offs Proliferate, “Climate Trauma” a Growing Phenomenon