What has been largely overlooked in the conversation to date around China's campaign of dredging and construction in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is the necessary synthesis between the geopolitical and environmental aspects of the issue.
In recent months, U.S. Navy patrols in the South China Sea and denouncements by high-ranking U.S. officials have brought international attention to the troubling security implications of China's actions.
A secondary line of reporting across the English-speaking world has also emphasized the ecological damage this artificial island-building is causing to a large system of coral reefs, with high-resolution satellite data illustrating the extent and pace of the damage.