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

Climate Breakdown Threatens Global Food Security (The Guardian)

Global agricultural systems now face mounting pressure as climate impacts intensify and crop yields plateau. Production of the world’s most abundant crop, maize, is projected to decline by 6% under low-warming scenarios, and as much as 24% in extreme warming scenarios. Extreme weather wiped out over 1 million hectares of Zambia’s maize in 2024 alone, accounting for half of the country’s total production. An Amazon drought devastated more than 18,000 hectares of crops in Peru, leaving 500,000 children facing both food and water shortages.

These dire statistics make the drastic impact climate change is having on global food production clear. Without significant climate action and resilience building, more than 600 million people will face food insecurity by 2030. Experts in this field emphasize the urgency of meeting climate goals, strengthening food system resilience, and reducing food waste to meet the challenge.

READ | Farming for Our Future: Climate-Neutral Agriculture in the United States and Beyond

Storm Byron Wreaks Havoc Amidst Gaza Infrastructure Crisis (Al-Jazeera)

At least 14 Palestinians died when Storm Byron struck Gaza this month. Medical staff in the region reported an alarming rise in exposure-related deaths linked to destroyed infrastructure and a breakdown in civil defense capacity amidst ongoing blockades and bombardments.

The storm turned flimsy shelters into deadly traps for approximately 850,000 people sheltering in 761 sites across Gaza. The Ministry of Interior received over 4,300 distress calls, and recorded the collapse of at least 12 buildings previously damaged by Israeli strikes. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the storm-related deaths as evidence of catastrophic conditions left by Israel’s bombardment, as civil defense teams continue rescue operations with almost no equipment or fuel.

READ | In the Wake of a Tropical Cyclone: Turning to Violence or Building Peace?

Indigenous Community Challenges Nepal Hydropower Project (Mongabay)

More than a year after their initial filing demanding the cancellation of the Chhujung River Hydropower Project, Indigenous Bhote-Lhomi Singsa community leaders submitted another writ petition to Nepal’s Supreme Court in November 2025. The new petition declares a completed environmental impact assessment (EIA) void and seeks an interim order halting construction by the Nepalese company Sangrila Urja Pvt. Ltd. About 228 households across three villages face displacement from ancestral lands upon which they depend for farming, yak herding, and trading medicinal herbs. The company plans to use 192,000 tons of explosives and 188,000 detonators in the construction, which locals say would directly impact 26 glacial lakes located 2.5 kilometers away.

The EIA report cited by these leaders covers an area 90 times smaller than the actual project footprint, and it excludes mention of threatened wildlife including red pandas, blue sheep, snow leopards, and musk deer found in the Lungbasamba biocultural heritage landscape. While the company behind the project dis pay about $4,800 per 0.05 hectare to some households in one village (Chyamtang), it denied compensation to Ridak and Thudam villages. (The EIA declared that both villages would suffer direct impacts.) Neither village had the opportunity for public hearings, and activists also allege that Sangrila Urja Pvt. Ltd is using the Chhunjam River for electricity generation without a separate EIA,  thus affecting water resources sacred to communities.

READ | Assessing Local Aspects of Climate Security and Environmental Peace