Coastal challengesManaged Retreat Conference Published 21 June 2021 The Columbia Climate School and its Earth Institute, will hold a virtual conference 22-25 June 20201 on the subject of managed retreat. conference will address a range of scientific, social, policy, and governance issues around managed retreat (also known as strategic realignment and planned relocation). The Columbia Climate School and

TerrorismInquiry Details 9 Missed Opportunities to Thwart 2017 British Concert Bombing By Jamie Dettmer Published 18 June 2021 Families of the 22 people who died in the 2017 terrorist bombing of a concert at Britain’s Manchester Arena are urging authorities to mount corporate manslaughter prosecutions against the firm responsible for security on the night of

Truth decayDeveloping Research Model to Fight Deepfakes Published 18 June 2021 Detecting “deepfakes,” or when an existing image or video of a person is manipulated and replaced with someone else’s likeness, presents a massive cybersecurity challenge: What could happen when deepfakes are created with malicious intent? Artificial intelligence experts are working on a new reverse-engineering

DHSRedefining Homeland Security: A New Framework for DHS to Meet Today’s Challenges Published 18 June 2021 A new report from the Center for American Progress says that to meet the challenges of today, the Biden administration and Congress should reform the Department of Homeland Security around a mission that highlights safety and services alongside its

COVID-19 originsLet Scientific Evidence Determine Origin of SARS-CoV-2: Presidents of the National Academies Published 18 June 2021 Earlier this week, the leaders of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a statement about the ongoing debate regarding the origins of the COVID-19 virus. “We urge that investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2

Climate change challengesDrought and Record Heat in the West: The Climate Change Connection By Megan Lowry Published 18 June 2021 As intense drought and record heat make their way across the Western U.S., the deep and devastating impacts of this extreme weather are clear — electric utilities are asking consumers to ration power and water,

Pandemic preparednessThe Future of U.S. Pandemic Preparedness By Michelle Grundahl Published 18 June 2021 On May 26, 2021, the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB) held a (virtual) public meeting that discussed actions that the United States needs to take to be better prepared for the challenges posed by public health emergencies such as pandemics, “Disease

Domestic terrorismForeign Disinformation Feeds U.S. Domestic Terrorism, Official Warns By Jeff Seldin Published 17 June 2021 Newly unveiled efforts to combat a growing domestic terrorism threat in the United States will have to find a way to overcome a major obstacle: carefully crafted campaigns by foreign countries and terrorist groups to incite violence. Newly unveiled efforts

Rare Earth elements (REEs)The Geopolitics of Rare Earth Elements Published 16 June 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed fragility in the global supply chains for not only pharmaceuticals and crucial medical supplies but also some critical minerals. Chief among them are rare Earth elements (REEs), which are necessary for clean energy equipment, advanced military gear,

ARGUMENT: Rare Earths rivalryRare Earth Metals at the Heart of China’s Rivalry with U.S., Europe Published 16 June 2021 What if China were to cut off the United States and Europe from access to Rare Earth Elements (REEs), 17 minerals with unique characteristics which are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, batteries, sophisticated military