A scenic aerial shot of a boat navigating through the muddy Amazon River surrounded by lush rainforest.

Suriname’s Rainforests and the Global Climate: Extraction, Development, and the Future of the Guiana Shield

ByElla Burden

A carbon-negative state at the centre of a global ecological contradiction Climate discourse remains dominated by emissions targets, carbon markets, and the protracted choreography of international negotiations. Beneath these institutionalised debates lies a far more immediate and destabilising challenge: the gradual degradation of the ecological systems upon which modern economies fundamentally depend. Few countries illustrate…

Episode 362: The Amazon Rainforest, Gold Mining, and the Development Dilemma in Suriname with John Goedschalk

ByElla Burden

This episode hosts John Goedschalk to examine the relationship between environmental sustainability, economic development, and long-term climate resilience in the Amazon rainforest and the Guiana Shield. The conversation explores why the forests of Suriname are disproportionately important to global climate stability, regional rainfall systems, and food production across South America. Drawing on the science behind…

Episode 359: Conflict Pollution: How Modern War Damages Climate, Water, and Land for Generations with Doug Weir

ByElla Burden

This episode hosts Doug Weir from the Conflict and Environment Observatory to examine the environmental consequences of modern warfare and the wider ecological risks created by armed conflict. The conversation explores how conflict generates complex forms of pollution, from toxic air emissions and oil fires to groundwater contamination and long-term ecological damage, often with impacts that persist…

Doug Weir

Doug Weir

ByElla Burden

Doug Weir is Director at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, where his work focuses on the environmental dimensions of armed conflict and military activity. His research examines how war and security policies contribute to environmental degradation, with a particular emphasis on pollution, ecosystem damage, and the long-term risks associated with military emissions. Doug is widely…

A rusted and damaged military tank lies abandoned on a city street.

Unreported, Unregulated, Unresolved: Military Emissions and the Climate Crisis

ByElla Burden

Traditional approaches to transitional justice continue to treat environmental harm as a peripheral concern. In global climate diplomacy, the environmental cost of war predominantly exists outside formal accounting. Such an emission is becoming harder to sustain as conflicts intensify and military spending rises across major powers. When delegates gathered for COP30 in November 2025, the…

Frederick Otu-Larbi

Frederick Otu-Larbi

ByElla Burden

Frederick Otu-Larbi is a climate and environmental scientist whose work focuses on climate change, natural resource governance, and environmental management, particularly in West Africa. With over a decade of experience, he has delivered practical, climate-focused solutions for governments, businesses, and communities. He is currently based at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana,…

Benjamin Neimark

Benjamin Neimark

ByElla Burden

Benjamin Neimark is a Reader at the School of Business and Management and a former Fellow at the Institute of Social Science and Humanities (IHSS) at Queen Mary University of London. He is a human geographer and political ecologist whose research focuses on the environmental and social impacts of global supply chains, extractive industries, and…

Episode 356: War on the Climate: Conflict, Carbon, and the Hidden Cost of War in Iran with Benjamin Neimark and Frederick Otu-Larbi

ByElla Burden

This episode hosts Benjamin Neimark and Frederick Otu-Larbi to examine the environmental and climate consequences of modern warfare, with a particular focus on the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its rapidly escalating global impact. The conversation explores how conflict is generating emissions at unprecedented speed and scale, with millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide released…

Intense fireball explosions with thick smoke in an outdoor setting.

The Iran War’s Hidden Front: Carbon, Fire and the Cost of Modern Warfare

ByElla Burden

When missiles strike refineries and cities burn, the damage is measured in casualties and territory. Far less visible is another front line: the atmosphere. In the first 14 days of the conflict involving Iran, an estimated 5 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions were released, roughly comparable to the annual footprint of a small state, and…

Masked hacker with credit card at computer, symbolizing cybercrime and anonymity.

Ransomware as an Industry: Inside the Economics of Digital Extortion

ByElla Burden

When ransomware shuts down a pipeline, exposes hospital data, or forces a local authority offline, the disruption is often framed as a technical failure. In reality, these incidents represent the visible edge of something far more structured: a global criminal economy that increasingly mirrors the organisation of legitimate industry. Ransomware has evolved from opportunistic hacking…