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Peter Howson

Senior Lecturer in International Development, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Peter Howson is a Researcher in International Development at Northumbria, where he leads the MSc in International Development.

His teaching and research interests span political ecology, critical theory, gender, race and development, ‘green violence’, blockchain-based environmental management and geo-politics in the Global South. Most of Pete's teaching draws on his research interests and professional experience in the Asia-Pacific region.

Before joining Northumbria, Pete was a Lecturer in International Development at Nottingham Trent University. In 2016 he was a Post-doc Researcher at Colorado State University, looking at Palau’s National Marine Sanctuary. Before that, he was based at University of Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. His PhD research explored the political ecology of climate finance in Indonesia.

Pete's current projects include analysis of the ‘blue belt’ network of marine protection measures in the UK Overseas Territories. Peter is also looking at how cryptocurrencies and carbon trading are coming together to make trees more valuable standing than cut down, and what impacts the practice is having on forest-dependent communities in Indonesia.

Digital Currency Revolution

Crypto tolls in the Strait of Hormuz shows why bitcoin thrives in times of crisis

Apr 18, 2026 07:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Digital Currency

Bitcoin has long been promised to function as money. In practice, it rarely does. While 99% of transactions are still speculative trading, for as long as bitcoin has been a thing it has been used to skirt governments...

DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse

Feb 03, 2025 11:01 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more energy-efficient AI is likely to simply mean more energy is used in the long run. For most users, large...

Digital Currency Revolution

Bitcoin: China's crackdown isn't enough – only a global effort can stop crypto's monstrous energy demand

Jun 08, 2021 12:31 pm UTC| Digital Currency

Huge concrete data centres, permanently plugged into power plants and telephone exchanges, maintain much of online life. But the infrastructure behind internet-based cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, dogecoin and ethereum...

Blockchain Revolution Series

NFTs: why digital art has such a massive carbon footprint

Apr 04, 2021 10:00 am UTC| Technology

How much would you be willing to pay for a one-of-a-kind work of art? For some collectors, the limit lies somewhere in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars. What about a work of art that has no tangible form, and...

Digital Currency Revolution

Bitcoin isn't getting greener: four environmental myths about cryptocurrency debunked

Feb 20, 2021 12:38 pm UTC| Technology Digital Currency

The price of bitcoin has reached US$50,000 (36,095) another all-time high. Its hard to believe that 10,000 bitcoin would only buy a couple of pizzas ten years ago. Its even stranger to think that bitcoins are completely...

Economy

Dollar Eases as Middle East Conflict, Fed Outlook and Japan Pension Policy Drive FX Markets

The U.S. dollar gave up early gains on Monday as investors weighed escalating conflict in the Middle East against shifting expectations for Federal Reserve policy, while the Japanese yen weakened after a Reuters report...

European Stocks Slip as Middle East Tensions and Hormuz Threat Rattle Markets

European stock markets opened lower on Monday as escalating conflict in the Middle East fueled a broad risk-off sentiment, while Irans announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz heightened fears of global energy...

South Korea’s KOSPI Triggers Trading Curb as AI Chip Stock Selloff Deepens

South Koreas benchmark KOSPI index briefly triggered a trading curb on Monday after tumbling more than 5%, as heavy selling in major technology and semiconductor stocks rattled Asian markets. The sharp decline reflected...

Iraq PM Visits Washington as U.S. Oil, Gas Deals Take Center Stage

Iraqs Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is set to visit Washington on Monday as Baghdad and the United States seek to strengthen their strategic partnership through new energy, trade and investment agreements. The visit is...

Asian Currencies Weaken as Stronger Dollar Weighs, Yen Supported by GPIF Repatriation Hopes

Most Asian currencies traded lower on Monday as a stronger U.S. dollar and rising Treasury yields pressured regional foreign exchange markets, while the Japanese yen drew support from renewed speculation that Japans...

Politics

UK Sanctions 24 Russian-Linked Targets Over Cyberattacks and Election Interference

The United Kingdom on Monday imposed sanctions on 24 individuals and entities linked to Russia over alleged cyberattacks, election interference, and the spread of anti-Ukraine disinformation across Europe. The move marks...

EU to Propose New Rules Limiting Children's Access to Social Media

The European Commission is preparing to introduce new rules aimed at limiting childrens access to social media platforms, with a formal proposal expected after the summer break, European Commission President Ursula von der...

HHS Watchdog Reports $5.56 Billion in Healthcare Fraud Recoveries as Enforcement Actions Decline

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported $5.56 billion in expected recoveries and projected savings during the six months from October through March, while excluding...

Western Allies Push for More Air Defenses for Ukraine at Paris Summit

Western leaders are set to seek additional air defense commitments for Ukraine during a high-level meeting in Paris on Monday, as Kyiv faces growing challenges intercepting Russian ballistic missile attacks despite recent...

Zelenskiy Plans Ukraine Government Shake-Up as Prime Minister Svyrydenko Set to Step Down

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced plans to replace Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after just one year in office, setting the stage for a broader government reshuffle as Kyiv seeks to implement a new...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

TSMC Q2 Revenue Surges 36% as AI Chip Demand Powers Growth Ahead of Earnings

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, posted strong second-quarter revenue growth as robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips continued to drive business across...

Samsung to Launch First Yongin Chip Plant by 2029 as South Korea Speeds Up Semiconductor Hub

Samsung Electronics is set to begin operations at its first semiconductor fabrication plant in the Yongin chip cluster in 2029, marking a faster-than-expected rollout of one of South Koreas most significant chip...

Morgan Stanley Says China’s Reusable Rocket Progress Poses Long-Term Challenge to SpaceX

Morgan Stanley believes Chinas rapidly advancing reusable rocket program represents the biggest long-term competitive threat to SpaceX, following the countrys first successful recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster....

SK Hynix Shares Drop After Strong Nasdaq Debut Despite $26 Billion ADR Listing

SK Hynix shares fell as much as 4.4% in early trading on Monday, even after the South Korean memory chip giant posted a strong debut on the Nasdaq following one of the largest U.S. listings by an Asian technology company....

Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former Apple employees, accusing them of misappropriating confidential company information and trade secrets tied to its hardware development efforts. The lawsuit, filed...