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Confluence Beyond Borders in a Changing Climate: Dialogue for Cooperation in Central Asia and Afghanistan
April 9th, 2026
Courtesy of SIWI, a new report examining water cooperation in Central Asia and Afghanistan: The region of Central Asia and Afghanistan faces growing water insecurity and natural hazards amidst a rapidly changing climate with rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and glacial melt affecting the volume, peak, and variability of river flows. Increased water scarcity and […]
Read more »Why the Aral Sea’s Restoration Matters Beyond Central Asia
April 3rd, 2026
Via The Diplomat, a report on how the Aral Sea’s story demonstrates how human actions can profoundly alter natural systems, yet it also shows that determined cooperation can begin to repair environmental damage that once seemed irreversible: Few environmental disasters illustrate the consequences of human mismanagement as starkly as the fate of the Aral Sea. Once the […]
Read more »A Tale Of Two Nations: The North Aral Sea Rebounds While The South Aral Sea Dries Up
July 12th, 2025
Via Eurasia Review, a look at how – once a thriving inland sea – the Aral has become a cautionary tale of ecological collapse, political neglect, and uneven recovery, as efforts in Kazakhstan are bringing about a slow revival in the north, while Uzbekistan’s extractivist priorities leave the south gasping for life: Give a man […]
Read more »How Cities Run Dry
September 24th, 2024
Via Yale Climate Connection, an article on how – with rivers, lakes, and reservoirs long strained by overuse now facing climate change – some cities are turning to water restrictions to get back on track: In April 2024, more than 9 million residents of Bogotá, Colombia’s capital city, were told to collect rainwater – if the city […]
Read more »An Elegy For The Amu Darya River
March 6th, 2024
Courtesy of Guernica, a look at how – in so many ways – human behavior is emptying the Amu Darya: Most mighty rivers enjoy a spectacular finale: a fertile delta, a mouth agape to the sea, a bay of plenty. But it had taken me almost a week to find where the Amu Darya comes […]
Read more »Japan’s Role in Healing the Aral Sea and Engaging Central Asia
February 20th, 2024
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a look at Japan’s role in healing the Aral Sea: Multiple international actors have become involved in helping Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan alleviate the devastating consequences of one of the worst human-made environmental disasters across the Central Asian region: the loss of the Aral Sea. One notable partner in these endeavors is […]
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