Online Articles

Oil rigs operate in the ocean surrounded by floating sea ice (Creative Commons | Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement)

Climate Change, the Willow Project, and U.S. Security: a Maelstrom of Unreadiness

September 11, 2023 by Blake Hite Climate change Oil and Gas

Oil has long been a key factor in U.S. national security considerations. In this article, author Blake Hite argues the combination of climate change and oil extraction in the Arctic poses unique national security concerns that should be considered before U.S. officials approve additional Arctic drilling.

A soldier looks towards a Ukrainian flag flying on a battlefield

National Security vs. Climate Security: Who Wins?

July 10, 2023 by Avi Wolasky Energy Natural Resources Oil and Gas

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused devastating turmoil. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are dead and millions more have become refugees.[1] Civilians remaining in Ukraine lack consistent access to food, water, and other essential supplies.[2]…

Horseshoe Bend on a sunny day.

Drought in the American West and Equitable Water Use

April 10, 2023 by Benjamin Wilken Water

The American West is dry. Despite extreme weather events like the series of atmospheric rivers that doused the West Coast (from late 2022 until the time of this piece’s composition), capable of dumping up to half an inch of rain an hour,[1] the overall…

Conservation easement boundary sign with hills and a lake in the background

No Time to Ease Up on Easements

March 30, 2023 by Chris Gaarder Public Lands State and Local Wildlife

The Internal Revenue Code allows taxpayers to claim an income tax deduction for donating perpetual conservation easements to qualified organizations.[1] The federal government has foregone billions of dollars of tax revenue in exchange for such easements…

The Colonial Pipeline transports refined oil products to the East Coast.

Cybersecurity Policy Responses to the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack

March 7, 2023 by Kimberly Wood Energy Fossil Fuels

Long lines for gas and skyrocketing retail gas prices marked May 2021 as a memorable month for automobile owners. While gasoline shortages in the early 1970s were caused by an international oil embargo, this more recent supply shortfall resulted from…

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…

Picture depicting a series of airplanes, one behind the other, on a tarmac with grass on either side. An additional single aircraft, one tarmac over on the right, is also visible

The Environmental Injustice in Aviation Emissions

February 6, 2023 by Paige Kendrick Air Energy Fossil Fuels

The last few years, especially these last few months, have seen aviation emission regulation like never before. At home and abroad, the aviation industry appears to be making significant inroads relating to emissions from engines “typically used in…