When Cape Town faced the real possibility of running out of water, new forms of authority emerged. From informal brokers to neighborhood negotiations, Day Zero revealed how governance is never just technical—it’s profoundly political. This essay traces the lessons from Cape Town for cities facing climate-driven crises worldwide.

Environmental markets and public-private partnerships are often framed as bold solutions to climate and resource crises. But history shows they are double-edged: capable of driving innovation and investment, yet just as likely to deepen inequality or erode public trust. From Bolivia’s Water War to California’s groundwater markets, this essay examines the promise and perils of turning nature into tradable units, and what it means for equity, governance, and resilience.

Analyzed public-opinion data from 36 African countries to reveal how inadequate access to clean water and sanitation drives political dissatisfaction and accountability pressures across the continent.

Power doesn’t just move through formal institutions, it flows through the invisible currents of culture, trust, and legitimacy. In this piece, I explore why the left–right spectrum fails to capture how authority is reshaped under climate stress, and what this means for building resilient governance in the face of droughts, resource scarcity, and political fragmentation.