Heat as a Threat, Gaza Songs, Election Security, and More
The latest at Inkstick Media.
Hello, everyone.
From Fairbanks, Alaska, to South Sudan, Carla Montilla argues in a new op-ed, the climate catastrophe is already upon us. But as the world heats up and consequences boil over, it’s time for the US to step up and do more to help mitigate the destruction climate change is inflicting.
Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s war has displaced more than 80% of the population, destroyed buildings and homes across the coastal enclave, and left schools and hospitals in ruins. To find momentary respite from the ever-present threat of missiles, Mohammed Ali* reports, some Palestinian artists are turning to music.
Elsewhere, in Istanbul, environmental activists have long fought to preserve the ever-shrinking number of green spaces in a city of at least 16 million. Now, as Joshua Levkowitz notes in a new dispatch, they have managed to get lasting protection for a grove with a lengthy history.
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“From Alaska to South Sudan, the Climate Crisis is Already Here” by Carla Montilla (July 1)
Communities around the world are feeling the impacts of climate change. The coming summer heat is a stark reminder that our planet is in peril, urging us to invest in mitigation to curb climate change’s relentless advance and adaptation to safeguard our communities against its inevitable impacts.
“Songs of Survival in Gaza” by Mohammed Ali* (July 1)
Across the besieged and war-shattered Gaza Strip, death and destruction have piled up throughout Israel’s nine-month war. But through music, Palestinian artists find a momentary escape from the roar of Israeli missiles.
“The Long Struggle to Save an Istanbul Grove Pays Off” by Joshua Levkowitz (July 2)
In recent decades, construction has boomed throughout Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, and dramatically reduced the number of wild green spaces. Now, after a 25-year fight, one of Istanbul’s last groves gains lasting protection.
“How US History Offers Key Lessons on Election Security” by Karen Greenberg & Julian Zelizer (July 2)
American democracy might seem increasingly frail. Yet, in truth, when it comes to presidential elections, the country has faced some frightening moments in its history. Many of those moments touch on a number of the fears that confront us today.
“Heat is a National Security Threat. Why Isn’t It Treated as One?” by Connor Sutherland (July 3)
Not only are record-setting temperatures themselves a threat – they also serve to worsen other existing hazards, risking both US interests at home and abroad as well as global stability writ large. Meanwhile, American climate security strategy has, at best, been limited to superficial assessments of its impact on force readiness — hardly a sufficient response.
“Deep Dive: ‘Militant Democracy’ in the European Union?” by Emily Tamkin (July 3)
If European Union member states are backsliding democratically, should the EU respond with “militant democracy”? Is it already doing so? Those are the questions before Tom Theuns in the paper published by Cambridge University Press.
From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.
Photo: Istanbul is home to at least 16 million people (Oziel Gomez via Unsplash)