By Abbey Stockstill, Southern Methodist University | – A powerful earthquake that hit close to the medieval city of Marrakech in Morocco on Sept. 8, 2023, has killed thousands and injured many more. It has also put at risk buildings and monuments of major historic importance, among them the minaret of the Kutubiyya mosque, a […]
Climate Crisis: Greece’s Record Rainfall, Flooding, are part of a Mediterranean trend to more Dangerous Weather
By Ioanna Stamataki, University of Greenwich | – Recent images of the devastating flash floods caused by Storm Daniel in Greece hit close to home literally and figuratively. As a Greek who has completed a PhD and worked for the past eight years on flash floods, the scenes unfolding across my homeland are painfully real: […]
How Photography can Reveal, Overlook and Manipulate the Truth: The Fearless Work of Iranian Artist Hoda Afshar
By Tom Williams, University of Wollongong | – (The Conversation) – Through her poetically constructed images, Hoda Afshar illuminates a world overshadowed by history and atrocity. Yet we never see despair: we see defiance, comradeship, reinvention and a search for how photography can activate new ways of thinking. Afshar was born in Iran and migrated […]
How Recycling could solve the Shortage of Minerals essential to Clean Energy
By Serasu Duran, University of Calgary; Atalay Atasu, INSEAD; and Clara Carrera, INSEAD | – (The Conversation) – What do silver, silicon and gallium have in common? These expensive raw materials are essential components of our various solar energy technologies. What about neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium? These rare earth metals are used to build the […]
Saudi Reforms are softening Wahhabi Islam’s Role, but Critics warn the Kingdom will Still Quash Dissent
By Nathan French, Miami University | – (The Conversation) – The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, or “MBS,” is bringing a new vision of a “moderate, balanced” Saudi Islam by minimizing the role of Saudi religious institutions once seen as critical to the monarchy. For decades, Saudi kings provided support to religious […]
Cities like Homs and Kharkiv show how Homes, Streets and Neighbourhoods have become the Frontline in modern Warfare
By Ammar Azzouz, University of Oxford | – (The Conversation) – It has been almost 12 years since I left my city. And I have never been able to return. Homs, the place I was born and grew up, has been destroyed and I, like many others, have been left in exile: left to remember […]
Evidence that Gas and Oil are Bad for Our and the Planet’s Health is Piling Up, but Governments turn a Blind Eye
By Melissa Haswell, University of Sydney; David Shearman, University of Adelaide; Jacob Hegedus, University of Sydney; and Lisa Jackson Pulver, University of Sydney | – (The Conversation) – We are seeing deadly heat and fires circle the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns we are fast running out of time to secure a […]
Climate Crisis: North America’s Summer of wildfire Smoke — 2023 was only the Beginning
By Charles O. Stanier, University of Iowa; Gregory Carmichael, University of Iowa; and Peter S. Thorne, University of Iowa | – Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke. While Western states have contended with smoky fire seasons for years, the air quality […]
Rising Temperatures mean more Air Conditioning and Electricity Use: Rooftop Solar is the perfect Solution
By Tom Rogers, Nottingham Trent University; Amin Al-Habaibeh, Nottingham Trent University; Angelines Donastorg Sosa, Coventry University; and Vahid Vahidinasab, Nottingham Trent University | – On June 12 this year, the UK’s last remaining coal-fired power station was awoken from a 46-day slumber to meet demand for electricity to run air-conditioning units. These were rare circumstances […]