In 2001, the UN General Assembly declared November 6 the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. In the 22 years since, both the impact of the exploitation of the environment during war—and the centrality of natural resources in establishing peace—have gained greater global recognition.

Panama Canal’s Water Woes Threaten International Trade Flow

The Panama Canal has operated as a gateway between the Atlantic to the Pacific for more than a century, relying on water to raise and lower the ships that help fuel international trade. But a recent drought has disrupted the normal functioning of the Canal’s locks, cutting into Panama’s revenue and also causing problems for global supply chains.

Young people should be able to hold public officials and service providers accountable for meeting their needs and rights. And this principle—known as youth social accountability—can also have a ripple effect on the health and wellbeing of young people themselves by enhancing the quality of health services and fostering more positive interactions with adolescents within health systems. 

Nowhere is China’s critical mineral dominance greater than in rare earth supply chains. In 2022, the US government estimated that China controlled “nearly 60 percent of mined production, over 85 percent of processing capacity, and over 90 percent of permanent magnet production.”

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

DRC Mining Project Displaces a Local Community

Kolwezi is the “cobalt capital of the world.” But residents of this city in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being compelled to relocate under questionable circumstances in order to make room for a new mine sponsored by the Chinese mining company COMMUS.

China’s power sector makes up the lion’s share of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, but rising methane emissions from rice farming and livestock, nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizers, and CO2 from food transport could all hinder China’s progress toward its 2060 carbon neutrality goal. Chinese policymakers could rein in agri-food emissions by modifying existing climate plans and policies. Climate-smart agriculture is not only a mitigation strategy, but also an adaptation strategy to intensifying extreme weather events like heatwaves and typhoons.

The growing climate crisis presents one of the largest public health threats of the century. However, its countless impacts on maternal and newborn health outcomes (as well as health disparities worldwide) have only recently gained global attention.