On the 34^th anniversary of the assassination of Burkina Faso’s former President, Thomas Sankara, Richard Cincotta explored his legacy of economic and gender development in December’s top post. While present day Burkina Faso did not follow the development track Sankara set in motion, similar model countries, like Tunisia, were able to create social progress through similar policies.

Earlier this year, the U.S. National Intelligence Council shared five scenarios for global development in 2040, and the OECD released three scenarios for global cooperation in 2035. In our top post last month, Steven Gale, Ana Fernandes, Krystel Montpetit, and Alanna Markle take a closer look at the differences and similarities between the two sets of scenarios, notably China’s role, growing fragmentation, increased digitalization, and a gradual breakdown in international cooperation and trade.

New strategies can help the United States develop a more effective approach to climate change. In our top post this month, Cynthia Brady, Liz Hume, and Nick Zuroski explain the need for addressing and integrating conflict prevention and climate risks into foreign policy and development assistance—and provide recommendations for how to better integrate conflict and climate risks into U.S. decision-making.

Cambodia’s Prey Lang rainforest is climate-critical and supports the livelihood of its Indigenous Kuy population. Recently, U.S.-led efforts to protect the forest have withdrawn as the Cambodian government has come under criticism for continued failure to protect against illegal logging. In this month’s top post, Richard Pearshouse explores opportunities to address the issue of illegal deforestation of Cambodian timber and protecting Indigenous peoples’ rights. 

Feeding all the fish grown in aquaculture remains a challenge in China, the U.S. and elsewhere. Aquaculture currently uses 75 percent of global fish oil supplies and researchers estimate that the demand for forage fish will exceed the ocean’s supply by 2037. In this month’s top post, Karen Mancl discusses the need for policy interventions to halt the overharvesting of oceans for fish feed and to ramp up the use of alternative fish feeds such as insects and algae.

In our top post for June, Steve Gale shares 5 consequences out of the National Intelligence Council’s recently released Global Trends report that development actors should be particularly attuned to. In addition to the “long tail” of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report recognizes the environmental consequences of climate change, including unprecedented numbers of wildfires, increased intensity of tropical storms, and sea-level rise. As a result, migration will be more pronounced and require more targeted aid approaches as demographics shift.

Green innovation and low-carbon transport are increasingly becoming an international priority. In this month’s top post, Ruyi Li writes about how both the United States and Chinese governments are expanding electric vehicle markets, which may inspire collaboration and competition on reaching carbon neutrality goals. 

Water diplomacy has brought increased attention to both water governance and water-related challenges and risks. Women’s leadership in water governance remains a salient issue as the field strives to bridge the gender gap. In this month’s top post, Marisa O. Ensor finds that while the field remains male-dominated, recent events and related publications contribute to bridging this persistent gender gap.