Peter Schwartzstein

Graphic, left hand side a false colour image of the Al-Sunut area from December 2024 with vegetated areas picked out in a red false colour. An inset shows densely packed acacia trees growing from a bare mud soil. The reserve is on the edge of the White Nile, which floods it. Right hand side, same image dated January 2026, there is far less red in the forest area, while an inset shows acacia tree stumps.

The Al-Sunut Forest Reserve in #Khartoum #Sudan largely survived the war but social media footage suggests deforestation following the recapture of the city. Wartime deforestation rates are very high across Sudan as people seek fuelwood and charcoal. 1/2 #EyesOnSudan

A lovely place. A damn shame ..

A Distant Problem No Longer How climate change is fuelling crime and fraying trust across Europe

Climate-related insecurity is coming for Europe, too. In the first exploration of the continent's vulnerability to troubles of this nature, we found that climate stresses are already fueling everything from rural crime to heightened water tensions at almost every level. peace.fes.de/e/a-distant-...

Book talk—The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence | King's College London Join us for an engaging discussion of the book The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence.

Londoners, come join us on Monday (13th) for what we promise will be a fascinating, timely, and not necessarily-as-bleak-as-it-sounds discussion! www.kcl.ac.uk/events/the-h...

Opinion | When Climate Change Blurs Borders

Climate change is fueling security challenges across the board. I wrote about one of the 'newer' and lesser explored but by no means minor inter-state risks. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/o...

A fast spreading wildfire along Athens’ northern edge. One of dozens springing up across Greece today. Bone dry landscape meets intense heatwave and strong winds etc

Destabilization From ‘Within’: A “Termite Theory” of Climate’s Pathway to Violence - The Council on Strategic Risks Climate change isn’t just an external driver of violence, in many cases, it quietly erodes the structures that help prevent it from within, like a termite.

Destabilization From ‘Within’: A “Termite Theory” of Climate’s Pathway to Violence | Peter Schwartzstein @schwartzstein.bsky.social

#Climate #ClimateChange #Security #Conflict #Defence #Governance

councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/04/23/d...

Environment and Resources The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate ViolencePeter Schwartzstein. Washington DC: Island Press, 2024. $32.00. 328 pp.Slow Burn: The Hidden Costs of a Warming WorldR. Jisung Park. Prin...

A wonderful review for @schwartzstein.bsky.social
“The Heat and the Fury is an extraordinary work that advances the scholarship on climate security in a text that is as accessible to newcomers as it is enriching for academic specialists.”

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

With Climate, an Undercurrent of Violence In his ambitious first book, “The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence,” journalist Peter Schwartzstein explores how climate change explains conflict, even war. BookShelf editor To...

Tom Henry @sejorg.bsky.social calls The Heat and Fury by @schwartzstein.bsky.social "bold, ambitious, incredibly researched and deftly written."

www.sej.org/publications...

OC Media faces closure after Trump–Musk aid cuts hit $250,000 in funding The cuts to NED followed the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID, which also impacted OC Media.

Media freedom is crumbling even faster in the Caucasus than in many other parts of the world. A donation to OC Media, a superb regional outlet, can help slow the rot oc-media.org/oc-media-fac...

The Heat and the Fury: On the Front Lines of Climate Violence with Peter Schwartzstein - The Strauss Center On Wednesday, February 26, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law and LBJ School of Public Affairs will host a discussion with environmental journalist and researcher Peter Schwartzstei...

Austinites, we are hosting a terrific event next week with journalist @schwartzstein.bsky.social on his terrific book on climate and security. Wednesday, Feb. 26th at 5:15pm. With generous support from @strausscenter.bsky.social www.strausscenter.org/events/the-h...

'The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence' with Peter Schwartzstein - UNC Global Affairs Join UNC Global Affairs and the Royster Society of Fellows for a Diplomatic Discussion with Peter Schwartzstein, environmental journalist and author of the book, The Heat and the Fury: On the…

This Thursday! Don't miss @schwartzstein.bsky.social at the FedEx Global Education Center. He'll be discussing his book, which looks at how climate change contributes to violence around the world.

The mirage of food security: Big farming in North Africa's deserts Big farming projects in North Africa’s deserts are presented as a response to food insecurity. But aquifers will be depleted and costs will be high. While small farmers are pushed out, there's no guar...

As warming intensifies and as fears of wobbly food markets escalate in this messy political moment, more countries are seeking to carve out food production elsewhere. The latest example: Water insecure Algeria. grain.org/e/7229

Writer's reads: Peter Schwartzstein Peter Shwartzstein recommends his favourite books in our latest Writer's Reads. His latest book, The Heat and the Fury, is out now

Alongside a very kind review of my book by the legendary Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Geographical, the Royal Geographical Society's magazine, asked me to recommend a bunch of reads of my own. Here! geographical.co.uk/culture/writ...

Lignite transition plan for Western Macedonia, Arcadia stalled | eKathimerini.com The so-called Fair Growth Transition Program has run up against the usual weaknesses of the Greek state.

A bitter illustration of the difficulties of the Green Transition in Greece's now-jobless coal country. The money and (makings of a) plan can be there. State capacity may not be. www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1259...

Why violence is rising with global temperatures Climate change doesn't just melt ice caps, it also fuels conflict, corruption and division worldwide, explains TED Fellow and journalist Peter Schwartzstein. From droughts in Syria to rising seas in B...

Keen on a 4 minute spin through the who, where, why, how of climate-related violence? And all replete with a foreboding soundtrack & a shirt that could likely have used a pre-shoot wash? I've got just the thing for you with my just-published TED talk! www.ted.com/talks/peter_...

EPIC is very close to reaching its year-end financial goal.
We'd be very grateful for those final bits of pre-NYE giving!

😁

(Naturally, distilling a complicated subject down to such a brief segment required leaving lots of the ifs, buts, and other caveats on the cutting room floor. If keen to learn much, much more, I've got a book for you....)

😁

Why violence is rising with global temperatures Climate change doesn't just melt ice caps, it also fuels conflict, corruption and division worldwide, explains TED Fellow and journalist Peter Schwartzstein. From droughts in Syria to rising seas in B...

Keen on a 4 minute spin through the who, where, why, how of climate-related violence? And all replete with a foreboding soundtrack & a shirt that could likely have used a pre-shoot wash? I've got just the thing for you with my just-published TED talk! www.ted.com/talks/peter_...

coverage might suggest. It's very much part of the mix though. If the country is ever again to be at peace, then restoring the jobs and degree of food security that depend on a healthier ag sector will be pivotal.

Above all, though, there's a immediate human & physical security imperative to address enviro damage. Climate stresses and regime responses to them were certainly *one* contributor to the initial uprising. As I found in my many interviews in country since 2014, the narrative is messier than 5/

Throughout the war, intensifying climate stresses have gone unaddressed, with drought, sandstorms, and heatwaves striking a cruelly unprepared population. Syria has received almost no climate finance. No matter what happens next politically, that shortfall must be addressed 4/

Much of the most insidious damage, though, has emerged from neglect & ad hoc economic practices adopted by desperate locals and admins during wartime. Think prolific deforestation, even more intense groundwater depletion, and the cons of 'artisanal' oil refining, as in this corner of NE Syria 3/

Almost every military actor has used water or other resources as weapons of war. This was extra true of the regime & ISIS, but victorious rebels got in on the act too–––as in the case of this dried out riverbed. A colleague & I stumbled on it soon after the SNA had blocked Khabur w an earth dam 2/

Though few Syrians will deem it an immediate priority (for obvious reasons), the *possible* end of fighting offers a vital opportunity to begin addressing yrs of brutal enviro & climate destruction. The landscape, which was already degraded by unsustainable pre-war ag policies, is in tatters 1/

On the Frontlines of Climate Violence: A Conversation with Author Peter Schwartzstein Climate shocks can lead to violent disruptions.

How are water, climate, and violence connected?

I spoke with journalist @schwartzstein.bsky.social about The Heat and the Fury, his new book on the topic.

It's nuanced reporting on a complex and growing problem. Worth 20 mins of your day! www.circleofblue.org/2024/world/o...

Donate to Double Your Impact: Empower Iraq's Environmental Movement, organized by Erik Gustafson EPIC (Enabling Peace in Iraq Center) has been challenged by a… Erik Gustafson needs your support for Double Your Impact: Empower Iraq's Environmental Movement

I recently joined the board of EPIC (Enabling Peace in Iraq Center), an excellent small non-profit that is trying to expand its anti-gas flaring campaigns in southern Iraq. If you feel able to contribute to the organization's fundraising, we'd be very grateful! www.gofundme.com/f/empower-ir...

The Heat and the Fury

For those of you in the US & Canada, my book (and all other @islandpress.bsky.social publications) is available at 50% off for the next 3 days. Come one, come all etc! islandpress.org/books/heat-a...