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How Climate Change May Speed Democratic Turnover, and Beyond a “Naïve” Understanding of Drought and Conflict
›In a recent paper published by Climatic Change, Nick Obradovich conducts the “first-ever” investigation into the relationship between rising global temperatures, electoral returns, and climate change. Using data from more than 1.5 billion votes cast across electoral contests held in 19 countries, he found that when the annual average temperature for a country rose above 70°F, there was a “marked” decrease in the number of votes received by incumbent officeholders.
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Chris Mooney, The Washington Post
Mosul Battle Shows Link Between War and Environmental Degradation, Says UN Agency
›November 4, 2016 // By Wilson Center StaffThe United Nations Environment Program is highlighting the battle by Iraqi forces to reclaim Mosul from the Islamic State as the latest instance in the complex but very real linkage between military conflicts around the world and extreme environmental degradation.
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5 Focal Points for U.S. Global Water Strategy (And Submit Your Own Too)
›November 3, 2016 // By Ken ConcaHave something to say about the U.S. government’s approach to water around the world? Here’s your chance. The Department of State has issued a public call for comment on its global water strategy. An open session was held in Washington last Friday, but written comments can be submitted until November 12.
For inspiration, here are points made by our own (and American University’s own) Ken Conca, edited for space:
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António Guterres and the Way Forward on Climate Change and Security
›On October 13, the United Nations General Assembly appointed Antonio Guterres as the next UN secretary-general. When the former prime minister of Portugal and high commissioner for refugees begins his term in January 2017, he will face a world of increasing climate and security crises. In a Wilson Center NOW interview and op-ed for The Daily Climate, Wilson Fellows Ruth Greenspan Bell and Sherri Goodman express optimism in Guterres’ ability to address these interconnected challenges and provide insight on the role of institutions like the United Nations in fighting climate change.
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Michael Kugelman Explains the Flare Up in India-Pakistan Water Tensions
›October 21, 2016 // By Schuyler NullLast month, India subtly warned that it could withdraw from the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, one of the oldest and most significant water treaties in the world, because of a lack of “mutual trust and cooperation.” A week later, the Indian military launched a “surgical strike” across the Pakistani line of control in Kashmir against alleged terrorist camps.
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As Ivory Becomes Bigger Issue, Environmental Peacebuilding Gaining Ground at IUCN World Congress
›A traditional conservation approach to climate change (e.g., habitat restoration, species protection) has been a primary tenet of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) agenda for decades. But this fall at the quadrennial World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i there were new discussions about tackling climate change in the context of national security and environmental peacebuilding.
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In Drought-Stricken India, Water Tensions Spill Into the Streets
›October 7, 2016 // By Sreya PanugantiAs the remains of nearly 60 buses smoldered at a depot in Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley” of India, protestors chanted, “We will give blood, but not Cauvery!” Downstream, in neighboring Chennai, at least 100 vehicles have been damaged, more than 500 people have been arrested, and a 25-year old died after setting himself on fire in protest.
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Michael Kugelman, Foreign Policy
Why the India-Pakistan War Over Water Is So Dangerous
›October 6, 2016 // By Wilson Center StaffEarly on the morning of Sept. 29, according to India’s Defense Ministry and military, Indian forces staged a “surgical strike” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir that targeted seven terrorist camps and killed multiple militants. Pakistan angrily denied that the daring raid took place, though it did state that two of its soldiers were killed in clashes with Indian troops along their disputed border. New Delhi’s announcement of its strike plunged already tense India-Pakistan relations into deep crisis. It came 11 days after militants identified by India as members of the Pakistani terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed killed 18 soldiers on a military base in the town of Uri, in India-administered Kashmir.
Showing posts from category environmental security.