Will the avocado be a sign of the past? This question is gaining increasing relevance as scientists begin debating the effect of climate change on global food systems. With an increasing global population and shifting weather patterns, agricultural production is under growing pressure. More disturbingly,
Over the past century, coal has been critical to industrialization, supplying the energy needed to power factories and contribute to economic growth. The cheap cost of coal as well as the ease with which it is converted into electricity cemented its position as a valuable
For some in the West, climate change is still a topic to be hotly debated. However, in many areas of the world rapid shifts in weather patterns have already arrived. Unfortunately, these larger global trends are at risk of further deterioration by the broad growth
Over the past 30 years, China has undergone an immense economic and social transformation. For centuries, China was predominately an agrarian society where the vast majority lived in rural villages. However, in the beginning of the late imperial period a shift began to emerge as
For years, Iraq has suffered a water scarcity crisis that has been exacerbated by poor domestic governance, an uncooperative international framework, and transnational conflicts. Water scarcity, in turn, fosters a vicious cycle of slow economic growth in rural areas and social instability that contributes to
