Environment
Big tobacco is forced to pay for cigarette butt pollution in Spain, but smokers may soon be on the hook
They’re tiny, they’re toxic, they’re everywhere. Cigarette butts are a huge source of pollution in Spain and lawmakers have said, enough. They're ordering cigarette makers to pay for the cleanup, but smokers worry they’ll end up footing the bill.
Lula empowers Brazil's Indigenous peoples with their own ministry. But environmental protection remains a key concern.
Lula vows to end illegal mining in the Amazon. But legal mining is more complicated.
Lula promises sustainable development for the Amazon
The world kept warming in 2022. Is the 1.5-degree Celsius target within reach?
Arctic alternatives: Part II
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Arctic Council has been on hiatus. This week's Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive into the history of the council as a model of international cooperation.
Mexico’s clean energy plan could run into trouble at leaders’ summit
The North American leaders will be discussing immigration and the recapture of the son of drug cartel kingpin “El Chapo.” But also high on the agenda: a dispute over energy.
Zimbabwe's farmers turn to drought-resistant grains as maize falters in drier regions
Zimbabwe has had to import maize, a staple food, for the past several years. Experts blame droughts and erratic rainfall resulting from climate change. The government is now urging farmers to grow more small grains like sorghum and millet, which are more drought-resistant.
Bees face many challenges — and climate change is ratcheting up the pressure
Honey bees, wild and native bees face threats from parasites, pesticides and habitat loss. Shorter winters, more extreme weather and more habitat destruction won’t help.
An unseasonably warm winter in Europe threatens ski resorts, tourism
Countries across Europe are experiencing unseasonably warm weather this January, causing a headache for ski resorts and broader concern for what it might mean for the year ahead.
War in Ukraine sparks fertilizer crisis that may impact the future of global food production
Russia is the world’s largest fertilizer producer, but fewer Russian agricultural products are entering the global market due to the war in Ukraine. It’s changing how farmers and fertilizer suppliers are thinking about agriculture.
Arctic alternatives: Part I
Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into 21st-century US policy on the Arctic, with a focus on the language used to shape these policies.
From the desert to the sea, CRRIFS cares for and protects San Carlos wildlife
CRRIFS, a wildlife rescue in San Carlos Nuevo Guaymas, Mexico, helps protect sea turtles and other animals facing threats from human activity. Many volunteers make their work possible.
Barcelona’s children find safety in numbers as they bike to school in herds
Across Spain's Barcelona province children are getting to school in organized convoys of bikes, dubbed "bicibus," or bicycle-bus. As with traditional bus lines, each bicibus route has stops where other cycling students can join along the way. Parents, teachers and other volunteer adults ride, too, to ensure the kids’ safety.
Residents of informal settlements among the most at risk from climate change
In Karachi, Pakistan, a tragedy this past summer highlighted those risks.