As relations between the United States and China become increasingly acrimonious, reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations remains an exceptional arena where respectful engagement between both countries endures.

Methane is a highly-intensive, short-lived climate pollutant, and it is responsible for about 30 percent of current global warming. Two-fifths of the global total of human-caused methane derives from fossil fuel production, including oil and gas. And the U.S. and China play an outsized role. The US leads the world in oil and gas production and sectoral methane emissions, while China ranks in the top five producers. China is also the global leader in total methane releases, including agriculture, livestock, coal production, and waste emissions.

A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

The Perils of Climate Reporting: Global Threats to Journalists Surge

Environmental journalists are under attack. That is the conclusion of a new global survey conducted by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and Deakin University. These researchers found that nearly 40% of climate and environment journalists have been threatened with harm, with 11% experiencing actual physical violence—often from individuals involved in illegal logging, mining, and other activities. Testimony from journalists at a recent ECSP event titled Environmental Journalists on the Frontlines of Democracy also made it clear that covering such illegal activities is increasingly perilous.

During the World Wildlife Fund’s Plastic Policy Summit in March in Washington D.C., I grabbed coffee in a white ceramic mug provided by the convention venue. Reusable mugs seemed unusual amid today’s prevalence of single-use cups, prompting me to reflect on how we have normalized single-use: I bought yogurt and soda in returnable bottles in Beijing; generations before us grew up with reuse. Why did we move away from it?

From record-breaking heat in 2023 to alarming levels of biodiversity loss, our global climate and environmental crises pose a growing threat to human and planetary wellbeing. But even as these crises intensify, the work of documenting them has itself become increasingly risky.

Across the world, threats and attacks against journalists who report on environmental degradation and investigate environmental crimes are on the rise. A recent UNESCO survey reported 300 attacks against environmental journalists in the last five years—a 42 percent jump from the previous 5-year period.​

Central Asia is known for its rich mineral resources and oil reserves, and its unique geographic position between Russia, China, and Iran. But it is also beginning to position itself as a potential leader in water diplomacy. This June, policymakers, academics, and those in the private sector will convene in Tajikistan for the Dushanbe Water Process. In partnership with the United Nations, the country is hosting biennial conferences between 2018-2028; this June will mark the third international high level conference on the topic.

A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Panama’s First Climate-Related Relocation

The Guna Indigenous people of Gardi Sugdub—an island in Panama’s San Blas Archipelago—are moving to new mainland homes in Carti Port’s Isber Yala neighborhood. This move is part of a larger relocation effort supported by the country’s government since 2010 to address the impacts of climate change on its indigenous peoples.

The recent floods and landslides in Brazil, displacing almost 100,000 and killing at least 100, reminds us that climate change-fueled extreme weather, combined with an intense El Niño, is a deadly combination. Governor Eduardo Leite of the southern Brazilian province, Rio Grande du Sol, described the devastation the region was subjected to as “unprecedented.” As President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva noted: “We need to stop running behind disasters. We need to see in advance what calamities might happen and we need to work.”

A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Southern Africa’s Drought Offers a Window into the Region’s Climate Future

Southern Africa has been hit by one of its worst droughts in decades, and this calamity highlights the vulnerability of smallholder farmers who rely on rainfed agriculture. For the first time, farmers like Esnart Chogani, who works on a farm just outside Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, were unable to bring in a harvest. The region is normally a major exporter of maize, yet it now has begun importing the grain to meet demand.