Wilson Center | Environmental Change and Security Program

Friends and colleagues, For 30 years, the Environmental Change & Security Program has worked to help decision-makers understand the critical links between environmental change, health, and population dynamics and their links to conflict, human security, and foreign policy. As you may be aware, the Wilson Center is being reduced to its statutory minimum function. As a result, ECSP is ceasing its programming. We are deeply grateful for your many years of engagement, partnership, and support. With appreciation, The Green Team

Between 2000 and 2015, the production of clothing has more than doubled, with 92 million tons of textile waste produced globally, according to the Global Fashion Agenda. Where does all that waste go? How do we manage it? International Day of Zero Waste 2025 is bringing attention to the growing waste in the fashion and textiles industries. Check out the Wilson Center | China Environment Forum's insights into our world's growing waste problem and how we might manage it ⬇️ The Struggle Against Plastic Choking the Mekong | By Anton L. Delgado -https://buff.ly/4gp6rwz Scaling up the Reuse Revolution in the Global South | By Eline Leising & Firda Istania - https://buff.ly/C1FNJjp From Waste to Wear: Chinese Startup Revolutionizing Sustainable Fashion with Recycled Materials | By Yunhuan Chen, Haiying Lin & Haifeng HUANG - https://buff.ly/4UfSYj0

🗓️ Join ECSP, the Wilson Center Latin America Program, and the Wilson Center | Mexico Institute on April 3 to discuss how to combat the wildlife trafficking crisis in Latin America. Expert panelists including Renata Cao de la Fuente, Polen Cisneros, Sharon Guynup, and Susan Lieberman will explore common trafficking routes, the largest consumers of trafficked goods, and the broader implications for ecological stability and human security. Learn more about the event and RSVP below ⬇️ https://buff.ly/GKnuxdd

💧 #WorldWaterDay 2025 highlights the urgent need to preserve our glaciers. Nearly 2 billion people rely on glacial meltwater for drinking, farming, and ecosystem health. But as glacial melt picks up speed, the consequences are dire—affecting flooding, sea levels rise, and drought. In 2023 alone, glaciers lost more than 600 gigatons of water, the biggest decline in 50 years. This rapid melt impacts agriculture, climate regulation, and even global security. Dive deeper into the far-reaching effects of melting glaciers and shifting water resources through our work on #NewSecurityBeat ⬇️ 🔹 Harnessing the Benefits of Water Cooperation in an Increasingly Complex World | By Susanne Schmeier, Melissa McCracken & Aaron T. Wolf - https://buff.ly/Lt4K3KW 🔹 Tip of the Iceberg: Polar Ice Loss Effects the Planet | By Olivia Popp & Michaela Stith - https://buff.ly/FC1NXli 🔹 No Water, No Food – Glacier Loss Threatens US and Chinese Agriculture | By Karen Mancl - https://buff.ly/79pwwjY 🔹 Water, Conflict, and Peacebuilding | By Wilson Center Staff - https://buff.ly/6m4Vjwa

How can countries create balanced critical mineral supply chains? How do solar powered water pumps in Pakistan help empower women and girls? Can you turn waste into wearable clothing? Check out the latest #NewSecurityBeat stories ⬇️ 💠 Let’s Make Critical Mineral Lists More Useful! | By Daevan Mangalmurti and Debbra Goh - https://buff.ly/w5NlUfR ⛓️ High Standards in Mineral Supply Chains: A Business Case | By Nicole Byrd & Emily Iona Stewart - https://buff.ly/CA0w6jR ⚡ How Solar Powered Water Pumps in Pakistan Also Empower Women and Girls | By Faiza Rab, Nathalie Jetté, Uroosa Khatti, Manzoor Ali, Jam Singh & Salim Sohani - https://buff.ly/jjjWnuv ♻️ From Waste to Wear: Chinese Startup Revolutionizing Sustainable Fashion with Recycled Materials | By Yunhuan Chen, Haiying Lin & Haifeng HUANG - https://buff.ly/N4qfAc2 🕊️ Environmental Peacebuilding: The Year in Review and the Year Ahead | By Angus Soderberg - https://buff.ly/9G80tSJ Wilson Center | China Environment Forum Wilson Center | Maternal Health Initiative

♻️ 👜 Innovative #startups in China are working to tackle #plasticwaste after the many delays in the Global Plastic Treaty at the end of last year. Liu Xuesong’s BOTTLOOP is combating the lack of #recycling methods by transforming plastic bottles into sustainable fashion. 🔗 📑 Learn more about how startups like these are going to need policy support to encourage more innovation in our latest New Security Beat article with Yunhuan Chen, Haiying Lin, and Haifeng HUANG: https://lnkd.in/gtQjwRDE

📈 China’s increasing use of export controls over #criticalminerals, highlights their dominance over the sector. Over the past decade, 20 countries have created critical mineral lists to catalyze #investments and diversify their supply. 🔗 Explore how these lists can be restructured to become more effective tools for the minerals supply chain in our latest New Security Beat article with Daevan Mangalmurti and Debbra Goh: https://lnkd.in/gyR8EkcD

🌍 Yesterday was #WorldWildlifeDay, a moment to reflect on the critical connections between biodiversity and global security. Wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73% over the past 50 years, according to WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report—a catastrophic loss that brings ecosystems closer to dangerous tipping points. And the collapse of ecosystems doesn’t just threaten biodiversity—it jeopardizes food security, livelihoods, and human security. Nature loss and resource scarcity are interconnected risks driving insecurity around the world. Check out our wildlife-related work on #NewSecurityBeat: 🐬 Microplastics are Sickening and Killing Wildlife, Disrupting Earth Systems | By Sharon Guynup - https://buff.ly/zQoAv8O ⛓️ Taking Action to Address Wildlife Crime’s Environmental, Health, and Security Risks | By Alice C. - https://buff.ly/4wf5C8W 🐘 Addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict in Ethiopia’s Protected Lands | By Neeraja Kulkarni - https://buff.ly/rsOG1R1

In #NewSecurityBeat's top 5 posts from February, you'll find insights into China's growing role in the global south's energy transition, what to make of Arctic sea ice tipping points and possible interventions, as well as a photo essay surveying Indonesia's decarbonization efforts and an interview with Dr. Ashok Swain about his latest book "Climate Security." 💡👇 1️⃣ China’s Role in Financing the Energy Transition in the Global South | By Muyi Yang & Professor Xunpeng Shi - https://buff.ly/410EFLf 2️⃣ Energy Islanding in Kentucky? Fort Knox’s Push to Resilience and Grid Independence | By Alicia Dotson & Andrew Pfluger - https://buff.ly/4hkJRAM 3️⃣ Facing Up to Climate Risk: Arctic Sea Ice, Tipping Points, and Possible Interventions | By Brad Ack & Kerry Nickols, Ph.D. - https://buff.ly/3EIPsSP 4️⃣ Photo Essay: Indonesia’s Decarbonization Tipping Point | By Ulet Ifansasti & Jacob Dreyer - https://buff.ly/3QsUDZM 5️⃣ Q&A: Dr. Ashok Swain on Misinformation, Changing Borders, and the Role of the UN in his New Book, Climate Security | By Wilson Center Staff - https://buff.ly/4gyVYZH

How can environmental peacebuilding address deeply intertwined environmental challenges and conflict dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean? Can Mexico establish a national care system to support its aging population? Find answers to these questions and more in this week's #NewSecurityBeat posts ⬇️ 💠 Q&A: Julián Higuera Florez on Harnessing Environmental Peacebuilding in Latin America and the Caribbean | By Angus Soderberg - https://buff.ly/Ckalm6K 💠 Mexico Is Growing Old. Can It Build a Care System in Time? | By Carin Zissis - https://buff.ly/D3z8tkf 💠 ECSP Weekly Watch | February 24 – 28 | By Breanna Crossman - https://buff.ly/9lnSAYC