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The Conversation

Russia
Putin’s antagonism toward Ukraine was never just about NATO – it’s about creating a new Russian empire

Putin’s antagonism toward Ukraine was never just about NATO – it’s about creating a new Russian empire

The Conversation

By Emily Channell-Justice and Jacob Lassin | – As some Western observers have feared, Russian President Vladimir Putin has just proved that his aggression toward Ukraine was never really about NATO. In a speech on Feb. 21, 2022, Putin recognized the occupied territories in Ukraine of Donetsk and Luhansk and moved Russian forces into them. […]

Climate Crisis
First solar canal project is a win for water, energy, air and climate in California

First solar canal project is a win for water, energy, air and climate in California

The Conversation

By Roger Bales | – Mounting evidence suggests the western United States is now in its worst megadrought in at least 1,200 years. Groundwater supplies are being overpumped in many places, and the dryness, wildfires and shrinking water supplies are making climate change personal for millions of people. As an engineer, I have been working […]

Joe Biden
Ukraine crisis Inflection Point: Putin recognizes breakaway regions, Biden orders limited sanctions

Ukraine crisis Inflection Point: Putin recognizes breakaway regions, Biden orders limited sanctions

The Conversation

By Naomi Schalit, interviewing Emily Channell-Justice, J. Eugene Clay, Jacob Lassin, Maggie Smith and Ryan Haddad | – Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a provocative address that could be construed as a pretext to war, claimed on Feb. 21, 2022, that all of Ukraine belongs to Russia and formally recognized the independence of two breakaway […]

Climate Crisis
Climate-Driven Heat Waves stop Carbon Absorption by Forests like Tasmania's Eucalyptus Stands

Climate-Driven Heat Waves stop Carbon Absorption by Forests like Tasmania’s Eucalyptus Stands

The Conversation

By Tim Wardlaw | – Southern Tasmania’s tall eucalyptus forests are exceptionally good at taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into wood. For many years, we have believed these forests had a reasonable buffer of safety from climate change, due to the cool, moist environment. Unfortunately, my research published today shows these […]

Afghanistan
Operation Allies Welcome Resettling 70,000 Afghans in US, but they are only Guaranteed 2 Years Here

Operation Allies Welcome Resettling 70,000 Afghans in US, but they are only Guaranteed 2 Years Here

The Conversation

By Kathryn Libal and Scott Harding | – As of February 2022, some 65,000 Afghans evacuated during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan have settled in U.S. communities. Several hundred more remain on military bases in the U.S., while nearly 2,800 are still waiting on U.S. bases abroad. The Biden administration, which aims to have all […]

Eastern Europe
Invading Ukraine may never have been Putin’s aim – the threat alone could advance Russia’s goals

Invading Ukraine may never have been Putin’s aim – the threat alone could advance Russia’s goals

The Conversation

By Ronald Suny | – An invasion is not the only way the crisis in Ukraine can play out. A diplomatic solution may yet provide an off-ramp for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose placement of tens of thousands of troops along Russia’s border with its smaller neighbor kicked off the current crisis. Indeed, the leaders […]

Iran
Iran nuclear deal: to reset relations with Tehran, Biden must overcome a long legacy of mistrust at home

Iran nuclear deal: to reset relations with Tehran, Biden must overcome a long legacy of mistrust at home

The Conversation

By Andrew Payne and Louise Fawcett | – As officials from Washington and Tehran return to Vienna for talks that aim to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran hawks in the US Congress are determined to prevent that happening. In a letter sent to the US president Joe Biden on February 7, Republican US senator […]

Coal
How poisonous mercury gets from coal-fired power plants into the fish you eat

How poisonous mercury gets from coal-fired power plants into the fish you eat

The Conversation

By Gabriel Filippelli | – People fishing along the banks of the White River as it winds through Indianapolis sometimes pass by ominous signs warning about eating the fish they catch. One of the risks they have faced is mercury poisoning. Mercury is a neurotoxic metal that can cause irreparable harm to human health – […]

Climate Crisis
We need to cut Carbon, not fall for the Scam of Trying to Capture it

We need to cut Carbon, not fall for the Scam of Trying to Capture it

The Conversation

By Jason MacLean | – When the federal government released the budget in April 2021, it proposed creating a new tax credit for private firms that make investments in carbon capture, utilization and sequestration projects. But in January, shortly after the consultation period closed, more than 400 Canadian climate scientists, academics and energy system modellers […]

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