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Karachi’s Heat Wave a Sign of Future Challenges to Pakistan’s Fragile Democracy
A devastating heat wave has killed more than 400 people in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi over the past three days. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro- RTX1HPUL
This is a cross-post from the New Security Beat.
July 8, 2015 | By Tim Kovach
Karachi, the world’s second largest city by population, is emerging from the grips of a deadly heatwave. A persistent low pressure system camped over the Arabian Sea stifled ocean breezes and brought temperatures in excess of 113°F (45°C) to the city of 23 million people in June. The searing heat disrupted electricity and water service, making life nearly unbearable. All told, officials estimate the heatwave killed at least 1,200 Pakistanis, more than twice as many as have died in terrorist attacks this year. (more…)
Water, Energy and Climate Security in Central Asia
Thanks to AlertNet for publishing Center for Climate and Security Fellow Svetlana Valieva’s piece on Central Asia, which was posted here on March 28. The article highlights the water-energy-climate change nexus in Central Asia, which has important implications for both regional and global stability.
The Climate-Water-Energy Security Nexus in Central Asia
By Svetlana Valieva, Fellow, Center for Climate and Security
As the international community observed the UN World Water Day last Friday, March 22, two Central Asian countries were part of important talks at UN Headquarters in New York concerning water-sharing. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been engaged in a dispute over the building of a reservoir-type Rogun hydroelectric power plant in Tajikistan, which Uzbekistan has contended would disrupt flow to downstream countries, including itself. Uzbekistan, a country never absent from important meetings on water issues, proposed an alternative to the Rogun project involving the construction of smaller hydroelectric plants, which would bypass or avoid changes to the stream-flow regime. These talks bring attention to a broader nexus of water, climate and energy security in Central Asia that is worth watching closely by both regional leaders and the international community. (more…)
Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Climate Change
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a deal with Kyrgyzstan that would extend Russia’s military influence in the country, as well as its influence over Kyrgyzstan’s water and energy resources. According to OOSKA News: (more…)