Peter
Schwartzstein

Environmental journalist @NatGeo, @NYT, @bbc etc. Global Fellow @ The Wilson Center, Fellow @ Center for Climate & Security

@pschwartzstein

Latest Stories

The Wilson Center 

Oct 15, 2023

A Reminder from Israel and Gaza on the Importance and Limitations of Environmental Peacebuilding

I flew into Tel Aviv last Friday afternoon, primed for a week of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian environmentalists and officials. By sounding out these men and women in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and other parts of the region, I...

The Wilson Center 

Jan 31, 2023

Climate & Migration

Assessing and addressing migration and displacement in a time of extreme climate stress

New Security Beat 

Jan 31, 2023

Environmentalism for Sovereignty’s Sake

Egypt’s Gebel Elba National Park is, by all accounts, a spectacular place. But it better be to justify the fuss it takes to visit. First you have to apply for a permit. If that’s approved (and almost none...

National Geographic 

Jan 19, 2023

The extraordinary benefits of a house made of mud

Mud, a traditional construction material in Africa, more easily keeps buildings cool compared with concrete. Architects are finding ways to keep mud’s beauty and function alive in a warming world.

Center for Climate & Security 

Jan 11, 2023

CLIMATE, WATER AND MILITIAS: A FIELD STUDY FROM SOUTHERN IRAQ

When recruiters for Iraq’s various militias came to the North Abu Zarag Marsh near Nasiriyah in southern Iraq in August of 2014, it didn’t take them long to empty the surrounding villages of most of their young men. For...

New Security Beat 

Dec 1, 2022

Media and Climate Security: Mutual Miscomprehension?

There’s a scene near the climax of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express when Hercule Poirot starts to plot out the possible murderers. There’s Colonel Arbuthnot, who had opportunity and motive. There’s Mr. McQueen, suspicious...

Latest from the Blog

Apr 5, 2020

The Perfect Storm: Coronavirus and Climate Change in the Middle East

The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has upended our lives, making a mockery of our illusions of permanence and stability. Economies that only last month appeared solid are teetering. Healthcare systems that were supposed to be resilient are proving anything but. For many of us in the environmental field,...
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Feb 6, 2020

As the Risk of a ‘Water War’ Fades, Is It Too Late to Save the Nile?

Article first featured on World Politics Review At first glance, the Nile valley at Wad Ramli, an hour’s drive north of Khartoum, looks as lush and fertile as ever. Date palms sag, heavy with fruit along the banks. Neat rows of barley await harvesting in the heat. With thousands...
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