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

A Fifth National Climate Assessment

The US Global Change Research Program launched the fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA)  on Monday, November 13. Published once every five years, the NCA is the United States’ leading report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses.

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.

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.

The global transition to low-carbon energy is spurring new momentum to produce and secure the mineral inputs necessary for renewable technologies. Yet meeting demand may prove difficult. From electric cars to wind turbines, essential renewable energy technologies often require more minerals than fossil fuel-powered infrastructure. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that efforts to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement could lead to a fourfold increase in mineral demand by 2040.