News and Prophecy Staff

The Pacific Institute based in California has amassed a database linking global conflict to vital resources like clean drinking water. In the past ten years, water-related conflicts around the globe have doubled compared to previous decades (The Guardian, December 31, 2019).

In 2020, Germany is positioned to have a major impact on the European Union and the world. Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s former Minister of Defense, is now President of the European Commission and is calling for a Green Deal to address climate change and make Europe the first carbon-neutral continent.

New research by Dr. BJ Fogg at Stanford University suggests that it is emotion, not repetition, that creates lasting habits (TIME, December 30, 2019). It all has to do with motivation. “There is a direct connection between what you feel when you do a behavior and the likelihood that you will repeat the behavior in the future.” According to Dr.

Evacuations continue across large swaths of Australia as raging fires continue to scorch the nation. On Monday, over 100,000 people were evacuated from the suburbs of Melbourne (Deutsche Welle, December 31, 2019). In another area of the country, four thousand people were trapped on a beach between the burning fires and the sea, awaiting water and air rescue.

With Boris Johnson’s recent landslide victory, many in Britain and in the parliament of the European Union expect Brexit to happen in January 2020. Many EU supporters have also expressed concerns that if Britain leaves, other nations will follow. Now, EU leaders fear that recent Polish court actions could lead to Poland’s exit from the EU, following Britain’s example.