Food takeaway has become a symbol of urban lifestyle convenience in China, but the resulting single-use plastic (SUP) waste has become a costly environmental and economic burden. In 2020, urbanites ordering on food delivery apps generated 37 billion SUP containers and a small fraction was recycled. According to a report by Pacific Environment, 88.5% of SUP waste in China is landfilled, incinerated, or leaked to the environment. Food and beverage packaging is the number one contributor to China’s SUPs.  

The UN Environment Programme has described Africa as the most vulnerable region in the world to climate change. Despite only being responsible for 3% of global emissions, the continent has been battered by extreme weather events, including droughts, cyclones, wildfires, and sandstorms. One in three people across Africa faces water scarcity. The continent’s agricultural sector, which represents a significant share of African countries’ GDP and employment, is highly exposed to climate change.

African informal migration to Europe raises human insecurity issues for states in both Africa and Europe. This challenge was underscored almost a decade ago by the arrival of about a million migrants and refugees on the shores of Europe.

Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population experiences some level of water scarcity—and an estimated one billion urban residents face unreliable drinking water supplies. This global water crisis not only has been recognized by the United Nations, but also prioritized for action as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: “Access to Water and Sanitation for All”.

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

Rough Waters: Sri Lanka’s Fishermen Face Climate Challenges and Economic Woes

Close to 2.4 million Sri Lankans are employed in that nation’s fisheries, and the bounty of its seas and freshwater bodies make up close to half of the country’s animal-based protein. But now the livelihood that has sustained these workers for generations faces growing constraints.

Northern Central America is experiencing a confluence of insecurity and migration challenges that are increasingly intertwined with climate change. What are the contours of this emergent convergence—and how can responses be developed and implemented more effectively?