The planet is heating up — and with it, tensions are rising. 

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “the 10 warmest years in the historical record have all occurred in the past decade.”

From reporting on communities living through water scarcity in Iraq to sea-level rise in Egypt, author and climate security journalist Peter Schwartzstein has spent over a decade documenting how climate change fuels conflict, violence, and displacement. In this video interview, Schwartzstein joins Dre Pedemonte to discuss his new book, The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Change, and explore the powerful link between ecological disruption and geopolitical instability.

Amid this turmoil, Schwartzstein and his book’s global anecdotes share how grassroots organizers and local communities are responding with growing strength and ingenuity. 

And together, we ask: is there hope — and how do we find it?