On November 20, 2022, as part of the Iraq Climate Dialogue, IRIS hosted environmental journalist and Wilson Center Global Fellow, Peter Schwartzstein. Mr. Schwartzstein met with a group of AUIS students and discussed key environmental issues facing Iraq and the region, such as water governance, agriculture, and importance of youth awareness. He also focused on explaining the nexus between climate and conflict through examples from Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. The students contributed by raising important issues for discussion including the lack of awareness for climate change consequences and how education can help individuals understand the importance of climate change management, and the absence of political will to act.
Speakers Bio:
Peter Schwartzstein is an environmental journalist who reports on water, food security, and particularly the conflict-climate nexus across some 30 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and occasionally further afield. He mostly writes for National Geographic, but his work has also appeared in the New York Times, BBC, Foreign Affairs, and many other outlets. He is a Global Fellow with the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program, a TED fellow, and a fellow at the Center for Climate and Security. He is currently working on a book about climate-related violence, which is scheduled for publication in 2024.
