The remarkable variety of life’s interdependent phenomena and processes — what we call ‘diversity’ — is being eroded by the modern forces of homogenization. The rich tapestry — woven from a countless ...

The ongoing famine in war-prone Somalia has led to much speculation about the link between violent conflict and food insecurity. Some commentators have also connected this year’s political revolutions ...

Most people living in Japan can visualise the landscapes of satoyama and satoumi when they hear these terms. Satoyama and satoumi refer to places close to mountains and sea, respectively, shaped by ...

There is a pervasive belief amongst Japanese leaders and decision-makers that climate change will not have a big impact on Japan in the future. They are wrong. That is one reason many were dismayed ...

Recently I’ve been enjoying dirty thoughts. I spend my days in a sterile 8×10 room practicing family medicine and yet my mind is in the soil. This is because I’m discovering just how much this rich, ...

Over four million Syrian refugees have fled Syria since 2011, with the majority seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Five years into the crisis, and with no foreseeable end, it is of grave ...

Southeast Asia is a bio-cultural hotspot encompassing about 20% of global plant, animal and marine species. The region contains three mega diverse countries — Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines — ...

“Transition towns, recycling, alternative power, enduring design; they are just attacking the symptoms. They are merely allowing us to continue living the way we are. They are buying us time. They are ...

In many regions of the world, managing water demand without damaging the local ecosystem is a challenge. For instance, in regions suffering from water scarcity, extensive agricultural fields are often ...

Globally today, we are witnessing an “inexorable intensification of violence” in the world’s armed conflicts. The result is that there are currently 59.5 million refugees worldwide. And among that ...

Last month I returned to Nauru, the smallest member of the United Nations and my home. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean close to the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. Our ...

Jared Diamond famously stated that “the biggest problems facing the world today are not at all beyond our control, rather they are all of our own making, and entirely in our power to deal with” when ...