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

Shedding Light on Imperial Oil’s Dark Waters (Mongabay) 

Canada has the fourth-largest tar sands (oil deposits) in the world. Separating the bitumen used in industries and construction creates large volumes of toxic wastewater, which is stored in tailings ponds that now cover a staggering 270 square kilometers. Unresolved infrastructure mishaps at one such site in Alberta operated by Imperial Oil means that contaminants have polluted nearby waters so significantly that it has affected public health and the livelihoods of indigenous communities in downstream areas.

Americans often hear arguments demagoguing exorbitant and wasteful development assistance spending. In an election year, these voices multiply.  And they have influence. Past polls have shown that Americans believe that their government spends roughly 25 percent of the federal budget on foreign aid. The real total actually hovers around less than 1 percent.

July 11 is World Population Day—designated annually by the United Nations as a focused opportunity to examine population trends and their implications for society. This year, World Population Day offers a chance to reflect on the 30^th anniversary of one of the largest and arguably most influential world population conferences in history—the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

Mildred is a fish trader in Kenya. I met her a few years ago, when I was conducting research. (“Mildred” is not her real name; I promised all my participants anonymity as I worked.) She mentors, trains, and educates young women on how to dry, gut, fry fish, and run successful fish businesses.  

LGBTIQ+ organizations and activists increasingly speak of “queering” systems such as global climate action, global refugee systems, or humanitarian response. Sometimes, this is a rhetorical reboot of existing strategies for increasing inclusion, with ‘queer’ used as a reclaimed shorthand for LGBTIQ+ people. The process of tweaking existing social and economic systems to address climate change and security threats should also certainly ensure the inclusion of LGBTQI+ people.

When Luxembourg’s Green Party was offered the defense portfolio in coalition talks after performing strongly in the country’s 2019 elections, its senior members faced a dilemma. Never before had a party of its political stripe held that brief anywhere in the world.

Some of the Green rank and file, drawn from pacifist backgrounds, seemed uncertain as to what to make of it all. But to François Bausch, the Green politician who ultimately took on the roles of defense minister and deputy prime minister there, the answer seemed obvious. Here was an opportunity for the party to advocate for climate security from a highly relevant perch, all while showing voters that it could be trusted with such strategic concerns.

The promise of global connectivity to enhance developing countries’ well-being is a reality as more citizens go online and international donors and their partners improve their digital service delivery. This surge can spur economic growth, advance freedom, boost transparency, increase accountability, strengthen civil society, and empower women.

The recent floods and landslides in Brazil, displacing almost 100,000 and killing at least 100, reminds us that climate change-fueled extreme weather, combined with an intense El Niño, is a deadly combination. Governor Eduardo Leite of the southern Brazilian province, Rio Grande du Sol, described the devastation the region was subjected to as “unprecedented.” As President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva noted: “We need to stop running behind disasters. We need to see in advance what calamities might happen and we need to work.”