A report on the impact of climate change on the glacier-fed Indus River and the rising geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan. Both countries depend on the river to generate hydropower and, in Pakistan's case, as a primary water source for agricultural irrigation. It is part of a series of print, broadcast, and multimedia reporting sponsored by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting on which, Anna-Katarina Gravgaard, and Bill Wheeler are working. The project looks at water distribution and the impacts of climate change on hydrology from the Himalayan glaciers of Nepal to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Indus River offers us a case study in the diplomacy needed to counter climate-induced destabilization. “The Water’s Edge,” first appeared in GOOD Magazine, and was subsequently republished by The Quietus and The Caravan magazines.
A new framework for reducing carbon emissions takes a crack at the knottiest dilemma confronting a global climate solution: how to divvy cuts between rich and poor nations. The approach attempts to sidestep rancor that has stymied climate negotiations for years. It starts with a surprising finding that virtually every country has a class of individuals – the so-called "high emitters" - enjoying a rich, carbon-intensive lifestyle. If those individuals, no matter their locale, are forced to take responsibility for their emissions, a great swath of countries become participants in the climate effort. "It's ingenious," said one climate expert. "It's a great way to shift the conversation."