Online Articles

Rubble from collapsed and heavily damaged buildings in the foreground with snowcapped mountains visible in the background.

The Environmental Impact and Aftermath of the Turkey-Syria Earthquakes

February 27, 2023 by Eli Rivas International

On February 6, 2023, a colossal 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed shortly after by a 7.6 magnitude aftershock struck Turkey, its epicenter closest to the city of Kahramanmaras. Over 50,000 people have died in large part due to building collapses, with…

The effects of climate change, including sea level rise and intense heat, threaten to make places like the island nation of Tuvalu uninhabitable within the next several decades.

The United States Needs a Plan for Climate-Driven Migration

January 29, 2021 by Alec Williams Climate change International Oceans Water

By Eleanor Hildebrandt, Staff Contributor

The effects of climate change will make swaths of the planet uninhabitable, displacing millions of people. How can the United States’ legal system facilitate an equitable, humanitarian response to those seeking safe resettlement within its borders?

Imagining a Greener Future for Post-COVID-19

October 25, 2020 by Brooke McClain Delaney Air Chemicals Climate change Fossil Fuels International

By Hyunjin Kim, Staff Contributor

"Normal was a crisis." When we say we want to "go back to normal," do we really mean the world exactly as we left it? Or, could we use COVID as a means of building something better than what we had, perhaps greener?

Forest Fires: A Concern that Warrants More Attention

October 26, 2019 by Sara Douki Air Climate change Endangered Species International Natural Resources Wildlife

By Austin Holtshouser, Staff Contributor
With the consequences of forest fires being felt on both local and global levels, more needs to be done to mitigate these events – domestic government action is essential.

With Great Power Comes Great (Eco) Responsibility - How Blockchain is Bad for the Environment

April 6, 2019 by Christopher Felton Energy International Renewable Energy

By Kevin Hotchkiss, Staff Contributor.

Blockchain has been hailed as the future of technology. Although innovative, the system revolves around "proof of work," a process that is resource intensive simply for the sake of being resource intensive. How does this technological innovation collide with the international push for sustainable development

The Governance Framework for Arctic Biodiversity

March 29, 2019 by Samuel Ruddy Climate change International Wildlife

By Sang Koo, Staff Contributor

Biodiversity plays an important role in maintaining the overall health of the Arctic, but climate change poses a major threat as temperature increases have disrupted the region's ecosystem. What legal regime is currently in place to protect the Arctic?

China's Green Desert

March 28, 2019 by mjb443 Endangered Species International Natural Resources Public Lands Wildlife

By Timothy Park, staff contributor.

China has been one of the largest contributors to reforestation efforts through its Grain for Green Program. However, have all of their efforts actually helped the environment? One fatal flaw in the program is severely limiting the programs impact on the environment.

Several world leaders meet at the UN in Paris. Some have their hands linked and raised above their heads. Two others are clapping.

The Difficulties of Enforcing Global Environmental Law

February 1, 2019 by De Vann Sago Climate change International

By Taylor Kilduff, Staff Contributor

This post seeks to understand what caused the results of a recent United Nations (UN) report on the international environmental rule of law and outline the international community’s difficulties in implementing and enforcing environmental regulations. Both the domestic politics of individual states and the inherent nature of the international community contribute to the inability of international organizations like the UN to enforce environmental standards on a global scale.