The Conversation

We calculated how much money trees save for your city

Written by Theodore Endreny, Professor of Water Resources & Ecological Engineering, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

For a megacity, Tokyo is rich in trees.gillyberlin/flickr, CC BY-SA

Megacities are on the rise. There are currently 47 such areas around the globe, each housing more than 10 million residents.

More than half the global population now lives in urban areas, comprising about 3 percent of the Earth. The ecological footprint of this growth is vast and...

Pompeo confirmation makes Mideast war more likely

Written by Gregory Aftandilian, Lecturer, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University

The United States Senate has confirmed CIA director Mike Pompeo, the hawkish former Kansas congressman, as secretary of state. He replaces Rex Tillerson, who was fired via Twitter on March 13.

As a former Middle East analyst at the State Department, I believe that having Pompeo as America’s top diplomat will endanger the Iran nuclear deal.

In...

3 reasons why teachers are striking right now

Written by Deana Rohlinger, Professor of Sociology, Florida State University

Teachers and students wave to motorists in Peoria, Ariz.AP Photo/Matt York

Teachers from Arizona and Colorado are joining teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky on the picket line.

These teacher strikes will likely intensify the debate among elected officials over where education fits in state budget priorities. They may also prompt Americans to consider...

Armenia rejects the 'politics of eternity'

Written by Chase Johnson, Research Associate, Frank Church Institute, Boise State University School of Public Service , Boise State University

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in 2017.AP/Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, three countries in the South Caucasus once ruled by the former Soviet Union, still operate in the shadow of what is now called Russia.

The three states are located between Iran and Turkey on...

Senate confirmation: The grilling can be grueling

Written by Capri Cafaro, Executive in Residence, American University School of Public Affairs

Sens. Bob Corker and Bob Menendez look on during the second round of questioning of Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the CIA is facing a confirmation battle in the Senate. His nominee to Veterans Affairs, Ronny Jackson, withdrew his controversial nomination before he...

VA nominee debacle may distract from the agency's 3 major problems

Written by Richard Lachmann, Professor of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson is Trump's nominee to lead the VA.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of its physician, Adm. Ronny Jackson, to be secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Jackson is best known for his fulsome report on Trump’s health following an annual physical in January 2018.

His nomination came into...

Why cities are becoming reluctant to host the World Cup and other big events

Written by Mark Wilson, Professor and Program Director, Urban & Regional Planning, School of Planning, Design and Construction, Michigan State University

Riot police drill outside Saint Petersburg's new soccer stadium ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

Getting ready to welcome millions of visitors – as Russia is now doing in Moscow, Sochi and other cities in advance of the 2018 World Cup soccer tournament – takes years of planning and lots of construction....

An addiction researcher shares 6 strategies to address the opioid epidemic

Written by Nabila El-Bassel, Professor of Social Work, Director of Social Intervention Group, Columbia University

Chris Burkett deposits old needles at a needle exchange program in Aberdeen, Wash., June 14, 2017. AP Photo/David Goldman

The devastating opioid epidemic is one of the largest public health problems facing the U.S. Over 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from opioid use disorder.

Four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription...

How transshipment may undercut Trump's tariffs

Written by Patrick Conway, Professor of Economics, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

President Donald Trump is vowing to crack down on deceptive transshipment. That is the practice of moving cargo from one country to another by way of a third nation to evade trade restrictions.

As an international economist, I have researched the impact of imported textiles and apparel on those industries in North Carolina over the last 20 years....

Melting Arctic sends a message: Climate change is here in a big way

Written by Mark Serreze, Research Professor of Geography and director, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado

Scientists on Arctic sea ice in the Chukchi Sea, surrounded by melt ponds, July 4, 2010.NASA/Kathryn Hansen

Scientists have known for a long time that as climate change started to heat up the Earth, its effects would be most pronounced in the Arctic. This has many reasons, but climate feedbacks are key. As the Arctic warms, snow and ice melt, and...