With climate adaption and mitigation efforts failing to keep pace with climate-related risks, the need for a global regime on geoengineering will be increasingly pressing, write Elizabeth L. Chalecki and Lisa Ferrari in June’s top post. The norms of just war theory could provide a starting point for developing a code of conduct for geoengineering.

Pangolin trafficking has reached critical levels, writes Wilson Center Global Fellow Sharon Guynup in May’s most popular post. Originally published in Mongabay, “Pangolins on the Brink” tracks the expansion of the deadly trade in this unique species across Africa, India, China, and even the United States.

Severe water shortages in Cape Town, South Africa, are a signal of what’s to come for other rapidly expanding cities. “We will have more and more events like what happened in Cape Town as populations grow and water demand grows,” said Eric Viala, Director and Chief of Party of the Sustainable Water Partnership, in New Security Beat’s top post for April.

Chinese cities are discovering that sewage could provide a clean source of power using new sludge-to-energy technology, writes Jillian Du in January’s most-read post. Chinese cities are looking to U.S. pioneers like Boston and Portland to learn how to incorporate sludge digesters into their waste management and energy infrastructure.

This One Goes to 11.

Eleven years ago this week, the New Security Beat began covering population, environment, and conflict connections. Today, our goal remains the same as in 2007: to provide insight on today’s new security threats and to share overlooked opportunities for cooperation. As we wrote then, “countries in crises often share the problems of rapid population growth and deteriorating environmental resources”: and unfortunately, the same trends continue undermine peace and deepen poverty. But we’ve also analyzed notable global efforts, including the Sustainable Development Goals and the growing resilience agenda, that offer hope for progress.

Preparing for natural disasters might help unlock pathways to conflict prevention, write Florian Krampe and Roberta Scassa in New Security Beat’s most read story last month. They make the case for investing in disaster risk reduction at the city level to manage localized risk and empower communities to peacefully respond to crises.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico, leaving many on the island without power, drinking water, or cellular service. Such disasters are not just an issue for the Caribbean, said the Wilson Center’s Roger-Mark De Souza in an interview with WOUB that was last month’s most read story on New Security Beat. All coastal areas of the United States, with their growing populations and vulnerable but valuable infrastructure, should be prepared to face more severe climate-related natural disasters.

Myanmar’s inter-ethnic disputes undermine an otherwise favorable backdrop for a peaceful democratic transition, write Rachel Blomquist and Richard Cincotta in New Security Beat’s most read story last month. Their analysis was published in April 2016, but it presciently foreshadows the current crisis. Through their multi-dimensional assessment of the demographic tension in Myanmar, the authors show that “[t]he path to democracy seems to cut directly through the Rohingya issue.”