International Conservation & Development

Cassandra Brooks discusses the global challenges and successes to protect Antarctica in Episode 3 of the new PBS series, The Age of Nature. Series description: Explore humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife, as scientists and conservationists from all over the world examine ways we can restore our planet. This documentary series asks whether newfound awareness of nature could bring about a new chapter in the human story. Watch the episode

Antarctica has been a beacon of international diplomacy, scientific and peaceful cooperation for 60 years. History will judge us harshly if we fail to protect the world’s last large and unique wilderness, writes Cassandra Brooks and participants in the Homeward Bound Project on which she served as a faculty member.

Mountains around the world share something in common – they are home to wildlife that can only tolerate so much disturbance from human activity. ...

From a press release from sistema.bio, the company started by Fellow Alex Eaton: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today unveiled Sistema.bio was one of the highest-scoring proposals, designated as the Top 100, in its 100&Change competition for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world’s most critical social challenges.

Fellow Cassandra Brooks returned in December 2019 from a three-week Antarctic expedition organized by Homeward Bound Project, a worldwide initiative that began in 2016 to “heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape our planet,” according to the organization.

Fellow Cassandra Brooks was interviewed by Nature's social science editors for an early-career spotlight article. She discussed her research interests, journey in science communications and policy outreach, challenges and predictions for the near future of her field.

Ekow Edzie is a recent graduate of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the graduate school of international affairs at Tufts University. The summer after his first year at Fletcher, Edzie conducted field research on the land restitution process in Colombia using his Switzer Fellowship. He analyzed the unique challenges facing victims of land displacement in Colombia in their return to rural livelihoods and the structure of government aid intended to ensure their future success.

Fellow Pamela McElwee was one of the lead authors of the recently released IPCC report on climate change and land use. From The New York Times: The world’s land and water resources are being exploited at “unprecedented rates,” a new United Nations report warns, which combined with climate change is putting dire pressure on the ability of humanity to feed itself.

Melting Himalayan glaciers are releasing decades of accumulated pollutants into downstream ecosystems, according to a new study. The new research in AGU’s Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres finds chemicals used in pesticides that have been accumulating in glaciers and ice sheets around the world since the 1940s are being released as Himalayan glaciers melt as a result of climate change.