Environmental security

Relation between and security and environmental

The relation between the environment and the security of humans and nature
has been the object of much research and the subject of many publications in
recent decades, but it is only recently becoming an important focus of international
environmental policy.
A recent comprehensive overview of the environmental security field observes
that:

-The environment is the most transnational of transnational issues, and its

security is an important dimension of peace, national security,and human rights
that is just now being
understood;

-Over the next 100 years, one third of currentglobal land cover will be
transformed,
with the world facing increasingly hard choices among consumption, ecosystem
services, restoration,and conservation and management;

-Environmental security is central to nationalsecurity, comprising the

dynamics and interconnections among the natural resource base, the social fabric
of the state, and the economic engine for local and regional stability;

-While the precise roles of the environment in peace, conflict, destabilisation

and humaninsecurity may differ from situation to situation and as such are still
being debated in relation toother security and conflict variables, there are growing
indications that it is increasingly anunderlying cause of instability, conflict and
unrest.1
Some observations on the links between environment and security

Experience shows us that conflict can be driven by natural resource

degradation and scarcity, and by competition for control where resources are
abundant. Ask an ecologist and a political security analyst to name countries of
gravest concern to them, and thoughtheir points of departure are different, their
final lists would look remarkably similar: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti,
Indonesia, Iraq, the Great Lakes region, the Solomon Islands and Somalia, among
others.

Indeed, the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Kenyan environmentalist in

2004 underlines the relevance of environmental issues to global security.

The connections between environmental change and human security are

many and complex. On the one hand, our environment affects our security by
undermining livelihoods, or by leading to conflict over scarce or abundant
resources. On the other hand, insecurity can have a negative impact on our
environment through, for example, the ecological impacts of large refugee
movements or warfare itself. However, environmental concerns can also present
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http://www.envirosecurity.org/activities/What_is_Environmental_Security.pdf

opportunities for dialogue; non-military mechanisms for communication; and

greater mutual understanding.

All too often the environment and security literature seems to focus on the
developing world as the both the victim and the villain of environmental insecurity.
However, the developed countries habit of unsustainable consumption is at the
heart of many conflicts over both scarce and abundant resources in the developing
world. Throughout much of the 1990s, for example, war over diamonds in Sierra
Leone continued, at least in part,because diamond markets in the North were blind
to the provenance of those diamonds.

It should be mentioned that there is, as yet, no robust empirical link between
environmental stress and the start of violent conflict. Environmental factors are
rarely, if ever, the sole cause of conflict; ideology, ethnicity and power politics are
all important factors. However, it is clear that environmental stress increases the
severity and duration of conflict. That said, efforts to develop robust empirical
forecasts of violent conflict on the basis of environmental information havehad a
poor record of success, due to the complex interaction of social, political and
economic factors involved. 2

http://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2005/security_env_peace_iran.pdf

Environmental security and N.A.T.O.

Based on a broad definition of security that recognizes the importance of
political, economic, social and environmental factors, NATO is addressing security
challenges emanating from the environment. This includes extreme weather
conditions, depletion of natural resources, pollution and so on factors that can
ultimately lead to disasters, regional tensions and violence.
The Alliance is looking closely at how to best address environmental risks to
security in general as well as those that directly impact military activities. For
example, environmental factors can affect energy supplies to both populations and
military operations, making energy security a major topic of concern. Helping
partner countries clean up ageing and dangerous stockpiles of weapons,
ammunition and unexploded remnants of war that pose a risk to people and the
environment is yet another area of work.
NATO is currently conducting these initiatives via its science programme,
the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and
Partnership for Peace Trust Fund projects. It is considering enhancing its efforts in
this area, with a focus on civil emergencies, energy efficiency and renewable
power, and on helping member and partner countries address the impact of climate
change in vulnerable regions.
Building international cooperation
Since 1969, NATOs Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme has
supported cooperative activities that tackle environmental issues, including those
that are related to defence, in NATO countries. Since the SPS Programme opened

up to partner countries in the 1990s, environmental security became the most

active topic supported by the Programme.
For example in April 2010, a NATO Science workshop in Moscow
addressed environmental security and eco-terrorism, while a workshop in Cairo
looked at food security and safety against terrorist threats and natural disasters.
The first international answer to environmental security challenges, however, came
in 2004, when NATO joined five other international agencies to form the
Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative1 to address environmental issues
that threaten security in vulnerable regions. The five other agencies are: the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the
Regional Environment Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC).
In Central Asia, NATO is leading ENVSEC projects to address uranium
waste in the Ferghana Valley (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) and water
resources management for wetlands restoration in the Aral Sea basin (Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan), among others.
Boosting emergency response
The Alliance is also actively engaged in coordinating civil emergency
planning and response to environmental disasters. It does this principally through
the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EARDCC) that was
launched following the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Greece at the end of the
1990s.

Talking at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, NATOs

Secretary General highlighted that, with the growing impact of climate change, the
demand upon the military as first responder to natural disasters was likely to
grow. He urged Allies to consider how to optimize the Alliances contribution in
that area.
Addressing defence-related environmental issues
In October 2009, the Science for Peace and Security Committee established the
Defence and the Environment Experts Group (DEEG). The groups overarching
objective is to develop an environmental agenda to promote the identification,
development and dissemination of cost-effective and innovative approaches to
environmental and sustainability issues that affect military activities.
Meeting twice yearly, the DEEG examines and approves project proposals
from individuals or groups from NATO member and partner. The projects focus on
areas such as infrastructure and property issues arising from the management of
defence estates, and the impact on soldiers of climatic and biological threats. In
practice, the emphasis has been on projects and initiatives that affect deployed
operations, such as streamlining the environmental footprint of military
compounds to maximise cost savings and tactical advantage, while minimising
negative impacts on the environment.
Energy security
With increasingly unpredictable natural disasters, such as earthquakes,
severe floods and storms that causes disruptions to infrastructure, environmental
factors have a growing potential to affect energy security, a challenge NATO is
becoming more and more concerned with. Most NATO members and partners rely

on energy supplies from abroad, sent through pipelines and cables that cross many
borders. Allies and partners, therefore, need to work together to develop ways of
reducing the threat of disruptions, including those caused by environmental events.
At the Strasbourg/Kehl Summit in April 2009, Allies said they will consult on the
most immediate risks in the field of energy security. They said they would
continue to implement the recommendations proposed at the 2008 Bucharest
Summit, namely to share information, advance international and regional
cooperation, develop consequence management, and help protect critical
infrastructure.
Helping partners reduce environmental hazards through disarmament
Through NATOs Partnership for Peace Trust Fund projects, the Alliance
helps partner countries reduce their aging weapon stockpiles, clean up deteriorating
rocket fuel, clear land contaminated by unexploded remnants of war and safely
store ammunition. While the central aim is to help post-Soviet countries disarm
and reform their militaries, these projects also reduce the risks posed by these
dangerous materials to the environment and the people in surrounding areas.
Raising awareness and information-sharing
Communicating the security implications of environmental issues to political
leaders and decision-makers is another area where the Alliance plays a major role.
For instance, it makes sure that members and partners alike have the knowledge
and skills needed to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects. 3
VLAICU DAN
MARIUS, S.R.I. an I
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http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_49216.htm