Environmental Security

Environmental security examines the threat posed by environmental events and trends to individuals, communities or nations. It may focus on the impact of human conflict and international relations on the environment, or on how environmental problems cross state borders.

The Millennium Project did a global assessment of the definitions of environmental security and created a synthesis definition: Environmental Security is environmental viability for life support, with three sub-elements:

  • preventing or repairing military damage to the environment,
  • preventing or responding to environmentally caused conflicts, and
  • protecting the environment due to its inherent moral value.

It involves and reflects the ability of an entity, whether a nation or a society, to withstand environmental asset scarcity, environmental risks or adverse changes, or environment-related tensions or conflicts. To put simply, human economic activity will generally result in CO2 emissions. This will bring about regional and global climatic and environmental changes and thus changes in agricultural output. Hence, altered resource availability will imply food shortages which will then cause political disputes, ethnic tension, and civil unrest. Consequently, Regional defense agreements will arise along with regional conflict, ultimately resulting in global conflict.

Environmental security is an important concept in two fields: international relations and international development.

Within international development, projects may aim to improve aspects of environmental security such as food security or water security. Targets for MDG 7 about environmental sustainability show international priorities for environmental security. Target 7B is about the security of fisheries on which many people depend for food. Fisheries are an example of a resource that cannot be contained within state borders. A conflict before the International Court of Justice between Chile and Peru about maritime borders and their associated fisheries is a case study for environmental security.

Read more about Environmental Security:  History, Selected Early Literature

Famous quotes containing the word security:

    The contention that a standing army and navy is the best security of peace is about as logical as the claim that the most peaceful citizen is he who goes about heavily armed. The experience of every-day life fully proves that the armed individual is invariably anxious to try his strength. The same is historically true of governments. Really peaceful countries do not waste life and energy in war preparations, with the result that peace is maintained.
    Emma Goldman (1869–1940)