May 5th is the International Day of the Midwife. This year’s theme, “Midwives: A Vital Climate Solution,” acknowledges the role that midwives play by delivering environmentally sustainable health services, adapting health systems to climate change, and as first responders when climate-related disasters occur.  Empowering a resilient health workforce with midwives as first contacts for maternal health care can improve universal health coverage through reductions in environmental impact, as well as more efficient, less costly health systems, and stronger local economies.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Hears from Climate Victims (The Guardian)

Globally, courts are increasingly linking climate change and human rights violations. Earlier this month, for example, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that weak Swiss government policies violated human rights. Another hearing on the opposite side of the world this week will examine states’ legal responsibilities to tackle climate change. In an inquiry instigated by Colombia and Chile, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will define states’ legal responsibilities to tackle climate change. It will be the third international court tasked with providing an advisory opinion on climate change, but the only one focusing on human rights.

Central and South Asia’s water resources are critical for the region’s water, energy, food and environmental security. Major rivers in the region originate from the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya, Pamir, and Tien Shan Mountain Ranges and flow across multiple countries. Unique geographical characteristics make water management a complex and challenging task that is further complicated by a changing climate and increasing demand affecting diminishing water resources. 

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

China is Leading the World on Renewable Energy (Yale 360)

In November, Chinese and U.S. climate envoys pledged to triple global renewable energy by 2030, signaling renewed cooperation between the top two greenhouse gas emitters. However, the two countries are not quite on equal footing when it comes to renewable energy.

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

El Niño and Global Warming’s Shared Impact on Chile and California (New York Times)

Devastating wildfires have killed over 120 people in Chile, where a decade-long drought has created extreme fire weather conditions. While the country has experienced wildfires for years, a recent study found that unusually warm ocean temperatures created by El Niño have combined with climate-fueled droughts and heat waves to contribute to the wildfires now raging.

Iraq is incredibly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Temperatures are increasing, rainfall is decreasing, and the country experiences prolonged periods of drought. These conditions, as well as the destruction of wells and irrigation systems in the Islamic State’s (IS) targeted 2014-2017 campaign to destroy agricultural livelihoods, have created a growing water problem in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains. Indeed, water levels there have dropped low enough to subject crops to drought stress, endangering drinking water systems and affecting the ability to grow crops and raise livestock.

From Afghanistan, Nepal, and Libya to the Arctic, the new issue of Environment and Security takes a fresh look at emerging issues at the intersection of environment and security. Ashok Swain, Editor in Chief of Environment and Security, spotlights some of the new research and insights in this Q&A with ECSP staff.

Q:  The new issue of Environment and Security features an article on Arctic governance, including a close examination of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code). How do the authors assess this regulatory instrument as it enters its 10th year since adoption?