Laiba Awan is completing her Master’s in Political Science at the University of Calgary, where her research explores human security, climate change, and terrorism through Complex Systems Theory. She is a Fellow with Results Canada, contributing to policy on poverty reduction and health equity, and in 2025 she served as a Media Officer at the G7 Summit, supporting high-level media operations. She has also contributed to academic innovation as a co-author with the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, including the chapter “Navigating the Rockies of Academia through Collective Care.” Most recently, she was appointed a Junior Research Fellow with NATO Canada under the Environment, Climate Change, and Security Program, and looks forward to further advancing dialogue and policy at the intersection of global security, environment, and climate change.
Environment, Climate Change, and Security

Arctic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Competition

As the Arctic transforms from a frozen frontier into a contested geopolitical arena, questions of sovereignty, environmental responsibility, and security have converged into one of the most pressing challenges in the 21st century. Once referred to as a remote, ice-covered expanse, the region is now a stage where the impacts of climate change intersect with Read More…

Environment, Climate Change, and Security

AI Data Centers: Is Canada Next?

From rare earth mineral extraction to immense water usage, to an unlimited supply of electricity, to the soaring demands of data centers and AI infrastructure, humanity’s technological progress is entangled with environmental strain and resource insecurity. In the United States alone, over 5,000 ‘power-hungry’ data centers have used 4% of the country’s total electricity in Read More…

Environment, Climate Change, and Security

Rising Sea Levels: The Peculiar Case of Pacific Island Nation Tuvalu and Canada’s Arctic 

Climate change is not a distant threat; it is already reshaping nations, identities, and security. While much of the world debates its consequences, the reality is inescapable for the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu; as rising seas threaten its very existence. Located midway between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu may not exist in a matter of Read More…