By Simon Mabon, Lancaster University (The Conversation) – Mohammed bin Salman wants to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham accords, the network of agreements to normalise relations between Israel with other countries in the Middle East and, increasingly, beyond. Donald Trump would have enjoyed hearing this when the Saudi crown prince visited the White House […]
COP30: 5 Reasons the UN Climate Conference wasn’t the Promised “People’s Summit”
By Simon Chin-Yee, UCL; Mark Maslin, UCL, and Priti Parikh, UCL (The Conversation) – As the sun set on the Amazon, the promise of a “people’s Cop” faded with it. The latest UN climate summit – known as Cop30, hosted in the Brazilian city of Belém – came with the usual geopolitics and the added […]
Why Israeli Soldiers and their Leaders are increasingly at Risk of Arrest Overseas
By Shannon Bosch, Edith Cowan University (The Conversation) – In late December 2008, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert authorised Operation Cast Lead in response to rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled territory in Gaza. The three-week military assault killed around 1,400 Palestinians, including more than 300 children. Thousands of homes were destroyed, and hospitals, UN shelters, power […]
Environment and health: a connection that remains unseen in the Climate Change Conferences
By Sandra de Souza Hacon, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) (The Conversation) – In a conversation with Luciana Julião, environment editor at The Conversation Brasil, during COP30 in Belém, Fiocruz researcher and environmental health specialist Sandra Hacon explained why the integration of climate, environment and health has guided her research for two decades. Hacon has a […]
What Policies Can Help Solve Iran’s Climate-Driven Water Shortage?
By Sanam Mahoozi, City St George’s, University of London and Nima Shokri, United Nations University (The Conversation) – Iran is facing its most severe water crisis in more than six decades. Major dams supplying drinking water to provinces with millions of residents are nearly empty, and groundwater reserves have been depleted. Many cities have endured […]
Pacific Nations aim to go 100% Renewables, saving 25% of GDP
By Wesley Morgan, UNSW Sydney and Scott Hamilton, Monash University (The Conversation) – Picture dusk falling somewhere in the Solomon Islands. A fisher’s skiff glides home using a whisper-quiet electric outboard motor. In the Cook Islands, a big battery steadies the island grid. In Papua New Guinea’s highlands, solar kits bring electric light to homes […]
COP30 Report Reveals Climate Change is Spreading Infectious Diseases to new Regions
By Tulio de Oliveira, Stellenbosch University and Cheryl Baxter, Stellenbosch University (The Conversation) – Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather events create ideal conditions for pathogens and their vectors – such as mosquitoes, midges and ticks – to thrive. This is confirmed by a recent report for the global climate change conference, COP30. […]
Former al-Qaeda leader invited to White House, Peaceful Muslim Mayor gets Cold Shoulder
By Amin Saikal, Australian National University; The University of Western Australia; Victoria University (The Conversation) – Two prominent young Muslim figures have had an exceptional rise to power this year: Ahmed al-Sharaa in Syria and Zohran Mamdani in New York City. While sharing a common religion, their political stories couldn’t be more different. As has […]
A Roman emperor grovelling to a Persian King: A new Statue in Tehran
By Peter Edwell, Macquarie University (The Conversation) – A new statue unveiled in recent days in Iran depicts a Roman emperor in subjection to a Persian king. Erected in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, the statue titled Kneeling Before Iran shows the emperor grovelling before Shapur I (who ruled around 242–270 CE). But where did this imagery […]
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