Haodan “Heather” Chan
Haodan “Heather” Chen is an intern with the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in English and a BS in International Economy and Trade from the Harbin Institute of Technology.
Prior to her current position, Heather worked as an intern at the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs. She also has internship experience in Russia, Hong Kong, and China for government and non-profit organizations. Her interests are in international relations, international environmental policy, and population dynamics.
-
Prized Natural Resources Are Rarely Addressed in Peace Agreements
›February 10, 2016 // By Haodan "Heather" ChenDespite evidence that natural resources play a major role in many conflicts – 40 percent of all civil wars since the end of the Cold War, according to an estimate by the UN Environment Program – a study conducted by Arthur G. Blundell and Emily E. Harwell for the NGO Forest Trends reveals that most ceasefire and peace agreements do not address natural resources.
-
An Environmental Migration Review and 6 Recommendations to Build Livelihood Resilience
›An article in the Annual Review of Sociology reviews much of the research on the relationship between environmental factors and migration, providing a timely overview of a complex field. “Migration is often a household strategy to diversify risk,” write Lori Hunter et al., but can be influenced by any number of determinants, including at the macro level (e.g., environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political dynamics), the meso level (e.g., intervening obstacles and facilitators), as well as the micro level (e.g., personal and household characteristics).