By Gavin D. Madakumbura, University of California, Los Angeles and Alex Hall, University of California, Los Angeles (The Conversation) – Fire season is expanding in California, with an earlier start to wildfire activity in most of the state. In parts of the northern mountains, the season is now starting more than 10 weeks earlier than […]
Flames to Floods: How Europe’s Devastating Wildfires are fuelling its next Climate Crisis
By Ioanna Stamataki, University of Greenwich (The Conversation) – In recent years, I have all too often found myself passing over an active wildfire when flying from London to my family home in Greece during the summer months. The sky glows an eerie, apocalyptic red, and the scent of smoke fills the cabin. Silence falls […]
New Peace Plan increases Pressure on Israel and US as Momentum grows for Palestinian Statehood
By Scott Lucas, University College Dublin (The Conversation) – A new vision for Middle East peace emerged this week which proposes the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza and the West Bank, the disarming and disbanding of Hamas and the creation of a unified Palestinian state. The plan emerged from a “high-level conference” in New York […]
Why UK Recognition of a Palestinian State should not be conditional on Israel’s Actions
By Karen Scott, University of Canterbury (The Conversation) – The announcement this week by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the recognition of a Palestininian state has been welcomed by many who want to see a ceasefire in Gaza and lasting peace in the region. In contrast to other recent statements on the status of […]
The World Court just ruled Countries can be held liable for Climate Change Damage – what does that mean for the US?
By Lauren Gifford, Colorado State University and Daimeon Shanks-Dumont, University of California, Berkeley (The Conversation) – The International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion in July 2025 declaring that all countries have a legal obligation to protect and prevent harm to the climate. The court, created as part of the United Nations in […]
The quiet War: What’s fueling Israel’s Surge of settler Violence – and the Lack of State Response
By Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell Since Oct. 7, 2023, as Israel’s war against Hamas drags on in the Gaza Strip, a quieter but escalating war has unfolded in the West Bank between Israelis and Palestinians. While precise figures are elusive, United Nations estimates indicate that Jewish settlers have carried out around 2,000 attacks against Palestinians […]
Trump may be Abandoning Climate Fight, but New Leaders, including China, are Emerging
By Shannon Gibson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences (The Conversation) – When President Donald Trump announced in early 2025 that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement for the second time, it triggered fears that the move would undermine global efforts to slow climate change and diminish America’s global […]
How Wind and Solar Power Keeps America’s Farms Alive
By Paul Mwebaze, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (The Conversation) – Drive through the plains of Iowa or Kansas and you’ll see more than rows of corn, wheat and soybeans. You’ll also see towering wind turbines spinning above fields and solar panels shining in the sun on barns and machine sheds. For many farmers, these […]
Egypt needs more drinkable Water – how windy coastal Resorts could help
By Thokozani Majozi, University of the Witwatersrand (The Conversation) – Egypt is facing a growing water crisis due to its arid climate, limited water resources, and rapidly increasing population. The country of 114 million people depends heavily on the longest river in the world, the Nile, for fresh water. But rising demand for water in […]