20 for 20: Celebrating Two Decades Tracking the Environment, Population, and Security

It’s been 20 years since the Environmental Change and Security Program was founded to shed light on the new security issues of our times, so in honor of this anniversary, we’ve rounded up the 20 most popular stories of all time.

New Security Beat was launched in January 2007. From “trips to the nano frontier” to wondering if climate change will make tequila and lattes more expensive, a lot has changed since our early days on Blogger. But much has also stayed the same. We’re still taking a deeper look at popular but poorly understood narratives, like climate refugees, water wars, and population growth, and we’re still working to bring together diverse audiences that have more in common than they might think.

In almost eight years, we’ve reached more than half a million people from every corner of the world and posted more than 2,000 articles. Best of all, we’ve had the honor of hosting some fantastic guest contributions from a network that keeps on growing.

From demographer Richard Cincotta’s timely analysis of Tunisia’s chances for democracy as the Arab Spring was unfolding, to Dhanasree Jayaram’s plea for India to take environmental security more seriously after the devastating Uttarakhand flooding, some of the most popular posts are great examples of these collaborations.

Here’s to 20 more years of discussion, partnership, and progress. Join us tomorrow for a panel with past and current ECSP directors, moderated by Andrew Revkin, and join the discussion by subscribing to ECSP News or following New Security Beat on Twitter, Facebook, or through RSS.

Without further ado, here are the most popular New Security Beat posts of all time, by unique pageviews:

1. India’s Maoists: South Asia’s “Other” Insurgency, Schuyler Null
2. Tunisia’s Shot at Democracy: What Demographics and Recent History Tell Us, Richard Cincotta
3. In Search of a New Security Narrative: National Conversation Series Launches at the Wilson Center, Schuyler Null
4. Why Has the Demographic Transition Stalled in Sub-Saharan Africa? Elizabeth Leahy Madsen
5. New UN Population Projections Released: Pockets of High Fertility Drive Overall Increase, Elizabeth Leahy Madsen
6. Challenging Patriarchy: The Changing Definition of Women’s Empowerment, Donald Borenstein
7. National Intelligence Council Releases ‘Global Trends 2030’: Prominent Roles Predicted for Demographic and Environmental Trends, Schuyler Null and Kate Diamond
8. Flooding in Uttarakhand Shows Why India Needs to Take Environmental Security More Seriously, Dhanasree Jayaram
9. Taming Hunger in Ethiopia: The Role of Population Dynamics, Laurie Mazur
10. Avoiding the Resource Curse in East Africa’s Oil and Natural Gas Boom, Jill Shankleman
11. From Ethiopia to Egypt, Girls’ Education Programs Combat Child Marriage, Swara Salih
12. The Great Anatolian Project: Is Water Management a Panacea or Crisis Multiplier for Turkey’s Kurds? Ilektra Tsakalidou
13. Natural Resource Frontiers at Sea, Schuyler Null
14. Watch: Peter Gleick on Peak Water, ECSP Staff
15. Water and Land Conflict in Kenya in the Wake of Climate Change, Jeremiah Asaka
16. ‘At the Desert’s Edge’ Gives a Glimpse of China’s Massive Desertification Challenge, Luan “Jonathan” Dong
17. Nile Basin at a Turning Point as Political Changes Roil Balance of Power and Competing Demands Proliferate, Carolyn Lamere
18. In Mongolia, Climate Change and Mining Boom Threaten National Identity, Kate Diamond
19. Uganda’s Demographic and Health Challenges Put Into Perspective With Newfound Oil Discoveries, Kate Diamond
20. How Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Impact Economic Development, Calyn Ostrowski

… MORE