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The blog of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program
Showing posts from category Afghanistan.
  • Afghanistan’s Water Plans Complicated by Worried Neighbors

    ›
    Guest Contributor  //  March 20, 2017  //  By Elizabeth B. Hessami
    Kajaki-dam

    More than 40 years ago, the Soviet Union attempted to harness hydropower to modernize Afghanistan. Between 1960 and 1968, they poured money and technical knowledge into the 100-meter Naghlu gravity dam outside Kabul and a village for its workers called Sharnak. Although the town has been damaged and the boons of modernity remain elusive for many Afghans, the dam remains a crucial source of power for the capital and is the largest power plant in the country with an installed capacity of 100 megawatts.

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  • Are We Headed Toward “Recurring Storms” of Global Food Insecurity?

    ›
    February 27, 2017  //  By Erica Martin
    Punjab

    It’s often assumed that in the modern era, food security is an achievable goal. But between 2007 and 2008, a confluence of conditions shook the international food system to its core, fueling unrest and riots in more than 40 nations around the world. What’s more, this “perfect storm” may have been only a harbinger of challenges to come, according to a new report by Emmy Simmons of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

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  • After Conflict, Peacebuilding and Recovery Efforts Too Often Miss the Environment

    ›
    Guest Contributor  //  August 29, 2016  //  By Tim Kovach & Ken Conca
    Beni-peacekeeper1

    In June 2010, The New York Times published a front page story trumpeting a Pentagon announcement of roughly $1 trillion worth of mineral resources in Afghanistan. Officials said the discovery was “far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself.” Then-President Hamid Karzai soon inflated the figure to $3 trillion and then again to $30 trillion, enough to transform the country into the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.”

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  • How Lapis Lazuli Turned One Afghan Mining District to the Taliban

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    August 25, 2016  //  By Adrienne Bober
    helaluck-mine-tunnel1

    In the mountains of northern Afghanistan, between Pakistan and China, a region that has historically rejected the Taliban has become the group’s second-largest source of revenue. The twisting tale of Kuran wa Munjan reveals the challenges of extracting precious minerals in unstable and fragile states.

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  • Hunger in Shangri-La: Causes and Consequences of Food Insecurity in the World’s Mountains

    ›
    Guest Contributor  //  June 6, 2016  //  By Andrew Taber
    Chichaucancha1

    Over the past decade, the number of undernourished people around the world has declined by around 167 million, to just under 800 million people. However, this positive trend glosses over a stark reality: Food insecurity is increasing in the world’s mountains. This pattern has been under-recognized by development experts and governments, a dangerous oversight with far-reaching social and environmental repercussions.

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  • Kabul Greenbelt Project Aims to Restore Some Luster to War-Ravaged Capital – and Resilience Too

    ›
    Guest Contributor  //  March 15, 2016  //  By Elizabeth B. Hessami
    Kabul-degredation3

    It’s hard to imagine today, but Kabul was once ringed with grassy areas and shrubs, a few trees in areas too. Some of my husband’s favorite recollections of early 1970s Afghanistan are of simple family picnics in picturesque parks. Hours of lounging, grilling kebab, preparing rice, and conversing were a respite from the oppressive heat of the capital. Sometimes a picnic would become an all-night, extended family gathering. The Gardens of Paghman were a favorite destination with rows of pine trees, roses, and cool fountains. Pre-war family photos reveal neatly trimmed trees, bushes, and ample grassy areas for impromptu games. The family picnic is still popular among the Afghan diaspora. In the United States, Afghan community events are often held in parks, and involve large, multi-family picnics.

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  • Water and Security Hotspots to Watch in 2016 [Infographic]

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    Eye On  //  February 15, 2016  //  By Gracie Cook
    water-conflict-hotspots-201

    The ongoing violence in Syria exhibits the potential for water problems – a historic drought, in this case – to exacerbate existing social and political problems and contribute to humanitarian crises. In a recently released infographic, Circle of Blue combined data from the European Commission Joint Research Center’s Global Conflict Risk Index and the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to identify 10 hotspots around the world where water “could play a role in developing or exacerbating humanitarian crises” in 2016.

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  • Michael Kugelman, Foreign Affairs

    4 Myths About Climate Change in South Asia

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    December 9, 2015  //  By Wilson Center Staff
    Trees cocooned in spiders webs, an unexpected side effect of the

    The original version of this article, by Michael Kugelman, appeared on Foreign Affairs.

    Climate change is a very real threat. It will have major implications for every country and region in the world, but South Asia is particularly vulnerable. To appropriately address the challenges there, the world will have to confront four misconceptions about climate change in South Asia. With world leaders convening in Paris to hash out a new agreement on climate change, now is the right time to do it.

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