As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant rebels were steadily pushing into Iraq last month, ultimately threatening the country’s largest dam, water conflict was a popular topic on the blog.

As presidents, prime ministers, and other policymakers from across the continent gather in Washington, DC, this week for the first-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, what are the issues to watch?

A roadside billboard in Malawi reads: “No woman should die while giving life.” But in many countries, death or grave injury during childbirth is an all too frequent occurrence. [Video Below]

World Population Day began in 1987 after public imagination was sparked by the idea that there could be 5 billion people on Earth. Today, we’re well past 7 billion and according to the latest UN projections, headed north of 9 billion by mid-century.

Adaptation, mitigation, or suffering – those are the three choices people the world over face when confronted with climate change, wrote guest contributor Paul Wapner in one of last month’s most popular posts. Joining him were new posts on population, climate, and peacebuilding efforts in Africa and how “smart city” technologies are being applied in growing urban areas around the world.

Rapid growth and environmental change are creating new challenges for urban areas around the world. By 2050, as many as 7 out of 10 people on Earth will live in cities, with the vast majority of growth occurring in today’s developing countries. [Video Below]

Have we seen enough of climate change to call it a “catalyst for conflict?” A panel of retired U.S. military leaders think so in a new report from CNA launched at the Wilson Center last month.