-
The Land Matrix Visualizes Ebbs and Flows of Global “Land Grabs”
›Over the past few years, large-scale acquisition of land by foreign or domestic firms, be they public or private, have been making headlines. But although these “land grabs” have received a great deal of attention, their details remain largely unknown. Which countries are the primary investors? Which are the main targets? What is the land used for?
-
Considering “Soft Geoengineering”
›Even as the climate debate has been paralyzed by politics, the concept of geoengineering has been in the news lately, most notably in October when Russ George dumped 120 tons of iron particles into the Pacific Ocean in a scheme to try and score carbon credits. Earlier this month, the Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program hosted an event taking a look at “soft geoengineering” – techniques that might have low or minimal environmental side effects but still address or reverse climate change.
-
India’s Environmental Security Challenge: Water, Coal, Natural Gas, and Climate Change Fuel Friction
›November 23, 2012 // By Michael KugelmanThe original version of this article appeared in NATO Review.
Few regions are more environmentally insecure than South Asia.
The region faces rising sea levels and regularly experiences coastal flooding – of particular concern in a region with heavily populated and arable-land-rich coastal areas. Additionally, it is highly vulnerable to glacial melt. The Western Himalayas, which provide water supplies to much of South Asia, have experienced some of the most rapid melt in the world.
-
Connecting the Dots Between Security and Land Rights in India
›Across India, where I live and work, I can clearly see the connection between land rights and peace and security.
With respect to personal safety and security: 12 percent of all murders here are related to conflicts over land.
On a provincial level: few weeks go by without newspapers here reporting on violence between communities who are battling over land.
-
Michael D. Lemonick, Climate Central
Surprise Geoengineering Test Goes Forward Off Coast of Canada
›November 2, 2012 // By Wilson Center StaffThe original version of this article, by Michael D. Lemonick, appeared on Climate Central.
Harvard’s David Keith calls it the “goofy Goldfinger scenario” – a rogue nation, or even an individual, would conduct an unsupervised geoengineering experiment – and he confidently predicted in a story I wrote last month that it would never happen.
-
Michael Kugelman, Global Times
Repairs Could Stifle South Asia’s Water War
›October 19, 2012 // By Wilson Center StaffThe original version of this article, by Michael Kugelman, appeared on Global Times.
In recent weeks, militants in Pakistan have escalated their hostile rhetoric toward India. The subject of their ire is water. Hafiz Saeed, the head of militant Islamist group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, has warned that India plans “to make Pakistan barren” by preventing the waters of the Indus Basin from flowing downstream to Pakistan.
-
Manipadma Jena, Inter Press Service
A Lake of Hope and Conflict
›October 4, 2012 // By Wilson Center StaffThe original version of this article, by Manipadma Jena, appeared on Inter Press Service.
Parvez Ahmad Dar climbs three hours to reach the hilltop, generator-equipped tourist center in Ajaf village, 35 kilometers from Srinagar, to recharge his mobile phone.
The 46-year-old president of the Wular Valley People’s Welfare Forum is in high demand as an activist and organizer – he cannot allow the long power outages in northern India’s Kashmir Valley to cut off communication with his constituency.
-
Water and Land Conflict in Kenya in the Wake of Climate Change
›Earlier this month, there was a flurry of stories about brutal mass killings in clashes between the Pokomo and Orma communities over water and land in southeast Kenya’s Tana River County. The Kenyan media reported that about 30 people, including eight security personnel, had been killed and scores wounded, and reports on the death toll since last month are more than 100.
Showing posts from category environmental security.