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ECSP Weekly Watch | October 28 – November 1
›A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
COP16 Sees Action Against Biomass Subsidies (Mongabay)
In recent years, biofuel has gained tremendous popularity as an alternative to fossil fuels. Yet scientists have now demonstrated how burning forest biomass to produce energy emits more carbon emissions than coal when measured per unit of electricity generated. They also have evidence that forest-based products like wood pellets degrade carbon stores and biodiversity. It is a debate that has gained momentum in the ongoing COP16.
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The COP16 Opportunity: Bringing Biodiversity and Climate into Alignment?
›At first glance, the growing alignment of climate and biodiversity challenges in global politics may seem harmless. Indeed, there is a strong argument that it is a much-needed and long overdue development, since addressing these inextricably-connected challenges together may ensure that gains in one area do not lead to costs in the other.
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War and Climate Change Intensify Global Water-related Conflicts
›The Pacific Institute recently updated its Water Conflict Chronology—a database of water-conflict events that began to take form in the 1980s. The recent updates include the addition of 300 new entries to the database, highlighting the alarming rise of water-related conflicts in the last few years. Despite this overwhelming evidence of a growing trend in water-related conflicts, global attention toward addressing them remains negligible.
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ECSP Weekly Watch | September 9 – 13
›A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Fukushima Nuclear Clean-up Begins (The Diplomat)
It has been over 13 years since a massive 9.0 earthquake near the coastline of Japan in 2011 triggered a tsunami that irreversibly damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Failing cooling systems within the plant led to the melting of its radioactive core reactor, which dripped toxic fallout across the plant and in the larger ecosystem. Since that catastrophe, Japan has been devising ways to responsibly clean the waste in Fukushima—and it might be getting closer to a final answer.
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The Arc | Climate Justice in the Arctic: Part 2
›In today’s episode of The Arc, ECSP’s Claire Doyle and Angus Soderberg interview Dr. Benno Fladvad, Junior Professor for Natural Science Peace Research with a focus on Climate and Security at the University of Hamburg. Dr. Fladvad unpacks the potential environmental justice issues that arise as renewable energy deployment across the globe accelerates. Additionally, he also describes the challenges of balancing the demand for rapid decarbonization with equity and justice considerations, drawing on examples from the Saami communities’ experience with green hydrogen and wind development. We also glean Dr. Fladvad’s insights into how energy projects can move beyond ineffective consultation processes toward peacebuilding and justice for marginalized communities. Select quotes from the interview are featured below.
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ECSP Weekly Watch | September 3 – 6
›A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Proliferation of Icebreakers in the Arctic (Foreign Policy)
As climate change-induced melting of ice sheets clears new pathways, the fast-melting Arctic now has a new strategic race: icebreakers. Russia covers over half of what is defined as “Arctic” territory, and it has the largest number of icebreakers in the region. Russia’s attempt to consolidate and expand has led the US and its NATO allies to redefine their own Arctic security strategy.
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ECSP Weekly Watch | July 22 – 26
›A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Worsening Health Conditions in War-Torn Gaza (BBC)
Water infrastructure in Gaza was already weak before the beginning of the war in 2023, but intensified conflict and siege of critical infrastructure the damage wreaked by Israel’s military forces on critical infrastructure (including water, energy, and food), has left 70% of the people in Gaza exposed to salinated and contaminated water. Traces of polio have been found in wastewater flowing both between displacement camp tents and in inhabited areas, and experts suggest that this water might be circulating.
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ECSP Weekly Watch | July 15 – 19
›A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Shedding Light on Imperial Oil’s Dark Waters (Mongabay)
Canada has the fourth-largest tar sands (oil deposits) in the world. Separating the bitumen used in industries and construction creates large volumes of toxic wastewater, which is stored in tailings ponds that now cover a staggering 270 square kilometers. Unresolved infrastructure mishaps at one such site in Alberta operated by Imperial Oil means that contaminants have polluted nearby waters so significantly that it has affected public health and the livelihoods of indigenous communities in downstream areas.
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