Environmental security and population dynamics dominated September’s most popular stories. New guest posts on peacebuilding and natural resources in Afghanistan and climate change and conflict accompanied the launch of the latest issue of ECSP Report 14, on food security. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Leahy Madsen’s posts on aging and the second demographic dividend, growth in sub-Saharan Africa, and the latest UN updates to world population projections continued strong.

August brought new blood to the blog: 7 of the 10 most popular posts (by unique pageviews) last month were new. ECSP Director Roger-Mark De Souza appeared in a documentary about climate change adaptation in Trinidad and Tobago; the China Environment Forum’s Susan Chan Shifflett posted a stunning photo essay of her trip to the Wuhai City coal complex; and we had two stories on India’s climate change challenges, including one from a visiting West Point cadet. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Leahy Madsen and Kathleen Mogelgaard continued their analyses of recent demographic surveys, examining faster-than-expected growth in “Feed the Future” focus countries and why the demographic transition has stalled in sub-Saharan Africa.

June and July are traditionally slow in Washington, but not this year: ECSP and GHI hosted several big events at the Wilson Center, Roger-Mark traveled to the ICPD Human Rights Conference, and the UN released new population projections – coverage of which all made the top 10 most popular posts last month. Also joining the top 10 were two posts from the China Environment Forum and a cross-post from ChinaDialogue. Clearly China’s natural resource and climate change challenges are the minds of many. The final newcomer is Elizabeth L. Chalecki’s preview of her new primer on environmental security.

The UN released their biennial revisions to global population projections last month, revising their medium variant, mid-century estimates up by 250 million people. Kathleen Mogelgaard writes that, if a new IFPRI report is anything to go by, these projections may start playing a more prominent role in food security assessments.

Can climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts lead to tension or even conflict between countries? The latest issue of ECSP Report examines this often over-looked question in Backdraft, introduced by ECSP Senior Advisor Geoff Dabelko in last month’s most popular post. Other popular newcomers were guest contributor Alan M. Wright on FEMA’s new Strategic Foresight Initiative report; a major meeting of water-cooperation minds at the Wilson Center in April; a breakdown of two major reports about the Arab Spring and climate change; and how policymakers in Kenya and Malawi are combining population policy with climate change and development.

We’re happy to have a new project director on-board here at ECSP, and apparently so are you. Roger-Mark De Souza’s welcome post was one of the most popular of last month, despite going up three-quarters of the way through. Wilson Center Scholar Jill Shankleman’s treatise on East Africa’s oil and gas returned to the top spot and was joined mostly by newcomers: the Wilson Center’s climate change and peacebuilding in Africa workshop; Wilson Center Fellow Jeff Colgan’s Petro-Aggression book launch; National Geographic’s “water grabbers” series; the continuation of our Toward Resilience series; an infographic on reproductive health and the environment; and the China Environment Forum’s brief on Yunnan’s coffee industry.

Not too hot, not too cold – Goldilocks had it right, says Laurie Mazur in a new series on the concept of resilience. Joining her in the top posts last month (measured by unique pageviews) was the World Resources Institute’s water risk atlas, an illustration of the effect of the demographic dividend using new Human Development Index data, and an update on Uganda’s population-development challenges by Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. The Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum also continued their new Choke Point column with a discussion with activist Wang Canfa on China’s current environmental difficulties.

The National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030 report maintained its grip as the top post last month (measured by unique pageviews). But it was also joined by new posts on natural resources, conflict, and development with a look at the UN’s “year of water cooperation,” East Africa’s coming natural gas boom, China’s massive west-east electricity transfer infrastructure, the relationship between oil and war, and the changing context of Nile basin negotiations. Chad Briggs also weighed in on the U.S. Air Force’s Minerva Project and how it’s helping the military plan for complex risks.