New strategies can help the United States develop a more effective approach to climate change. In our top post this month, Cynthia Brady, Liz Hume, and Nick Zuroski explain the need for addressing and integrating conflict prevention and climate risks into foreign policy and development assistance—and provide recommendations for how to better integrate conflict and climate risks into U.S. decision-making.

With climate change and development still at the forefront, our second top post by Steven Gale, Ana Fernandes, Krystel Montpetit, and Nicolas Randin explores strategic foresight in development assistance. Reflecting on the outcomes from a recent OECD-Development Assistance Committee meeting of global foresight practitioners the authors present four scenarios with one overall message: development cooperation as practiced today is unlikely to prevail in the near future.

Climate change comes back into focus in two other top 5 posts. Wim Zwijnenburg dives into what a changing climate means for unexploded ordnances and other military hazards in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Arctic. Wildfires, melting ice caps, and extreme heat can cause these military hazards to be even more detrimental to the environment. And authors Alex Braithwaite and Matthew Cobb explore the dual trends of floods and droughts in urban areas, also exacerbated by climate change, and the need for further research, governmental planning, and efforts in sustainable urbanization.

Finally, Diego Montero and Meian Chen assess how far China has gone for its Nationally Determined Contribution (the commitments made by countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change) under the Paris Agreement. The authors explain China’s ambitious reduction goals and how they are being incorporated into plans of action nationally.  

1. Integrating Conflict Prevention and Climate Change in U.S. Foreign Policy and Development Assistance by Cynthia Brady, Liz Hume, & Nick Zuroski
2. International Foresight Takes Flight: OECD-DAC Led Foresight Community Grows and Spotlights New Cooperation Scenarios by Steven Gale, Ana Fernandes, Krystel Montpetit, & Nicolas Randin
3. Climate Crisis Exacerbates Military Legacy Contamination by Wim Zwijnenburg
4. The Challenges of Climate Change in an Urbanizing World by Alex Briathwaite & Matthew Cobb
5. Deep Determination: China’s Climate Commitments by Diego Montero & Meian Chen