Climate Change

By Stephanie Cleland, Simon Fraser University (The Conversation) – In recent years, Canadians have been subjected to both severe wildfire smoke and extreme heat events, as evidenced by the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season and the 2021 heat dome. Western Canada in particular has a long history of wildfires and heat waves, and with climate change, […]

Climate Crisis

Jerusalem Hills Wildfires: Climate Breakdown, Gov’t Incompetence and Green Colonialism

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The massive wildfires that broke out near Jerusalem and which threatened residents of the city appear to have been largely extinguished, though some embers have reportedly blazed back up. The fires have provoked a vicious blame game inside Israel. The Jerusalem Post argued that the current extremist government cut funding […]

Biodiversity

The Serviceberry: Native American Ecology and the End of Carbon Capitalism

H. Patricia Hynes

Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – No one wrote more powerfully about humans’ poisoning the Earth and its consequences than biologist Rachel Carson–with a focus on one contaminant, the pesticide DDT. She traced its toxicity through the food chain of nature and the loss of beneficial insects and birds, and then warned of […]

Climate Crisis

Wet Bulb Dead Zones could make Parts of Middle East, Pakistan, Uninhabitable — Even at Night

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last fall, NASA scientist Colin Raymond and colleagues published an article showing that contrary to expectations, deadly heat and humidity combinations occur along the Persian Gulf at night rather than only during the afternoon. In this part of the Middle East, temperatures are rising at double the average global rate. […]

Climate Crisis

Iraq’s Climate Crisis is a Human Rights Crisis

Human Rights Watch

Sarah Sanbar Iraq Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division ( Human Rights Watch ) – By any metric, Iraq’s environment is under severe pressure. Lakes, rivers, and marshlands are shrinking, and in some cases entirely disappearing. Sandstorms are increasing in frequency and severity, resulting in hospitalizations and the grounding of flights. Decades of conflict-related […]

CO2

CO2 in Atmosphere Higher than in 2 Million Years, with 2024 the Hottest Year Ever Recorded

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The annual report of the World Meteorological Organization concludes that in 2023, the latest year for which a complete analysis has been carried out, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere reached its highest level ever recorded —- about 420 parts per million (ppm). That’s 151% higher than […]

Climate Crisis

The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence

Marc Martorell Junyent

Review of Peter Schwartzstein, The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence (London: Footnote Press, 2024). Munich, Germany (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) –– Although climate change does not directly cause conflict, it makes violence more likely to occur and to be more intense. The effects of climate change act as ‘threat […]

Egypt

From the Tigris and Euphrates to the Nile: The Middle East’s unresolved Water Disputes

Global Voices

Written byRaseef22 This post by Mohamed Yousry, was first published in Arabic by Raseef 22* on February 15, 2025. This edited version was translated into English and published on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. ( Global Voices ) – The West Asia and North Africa region is facing a water scarcity crisis. […]

Biodiversity

We’re Killing off Thousands of Species, damaging our Health, Economies and Connections to Nature

The Conversation

By Justine Bell-James, The University of Queensland and James Watson, The University of Queensland (The Conversation) – Almost 200 nations have signed an ambitious agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss but none is on track to meet the crucial goal, our new research reveals. The agreement, known formally as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, […]