16.3 Environmental Security and Conflict

Environmental security links environmental issues to human well-being and stability. It broadens traditional security concepts, recognizing how resource scarcity and climate change can fuel conflicts and migration, impacting social and political systems globally.

This emerging field highlights the complex interplay between environmental, social, and political factors. It emphasizes the need for international cooperation to address transboundary challenges like air pollution and water scarcity, reshaping our approach to global security and policy.

Environmental security

Concept and scope of environmental security

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• Environmental security is a non-traditional security issue that focuses on the threats posed by environmental degradation, resource scarcity, and climate change to human well-being, social stability, and national security
• Broadens the scope of security to include environmental threats that can undermine human health, livelihoods, and social cohesion (water scarcity, air pollution)
• Recognizes the complex interconnections between environmental, social, economic, and political factors
• Environmental degradation and resource scarcity can exacerbate poverty, inequality, and social tensions, which can contribute to political instability, conflict, and forced migration (land degradation leading to rural-urban migration)

Relationship to traditional security concerns

• Traditional security concerns have historically focused on military threats and interstate conflicts
• Environmental security challenges the traditional state-centric approach to security and emphasizes the need for a more holistic and human-centered understanding of security
• Addresses the underlying environmental and social drivers of insecurity (climate change, deforestation)
• Highlights the transboundary nature of environmental threats, such as air and water pollution, and the need for international cooperation and governance (regional air quality agreements, transboundary river basin management)

Environmental factors in conflict

Resource scarcity and competition

• Competition over scarce natural resources, such as water, land, and minerals, can be a significant driver of conflict, particularly in regions with weak governance and existing social tensions
• Examples include conflicts over water in the Middle East (Jordan River basin) and land disputes in sub-Saharan Africa (Darfur conflict)
• Environmental degradation, such as deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution, can undermine livelihoods and food security, leading to social unrest and migration (Sahel region)
• Strain on resources in receiving areas can contribute to tensions between host communities and migrants (Syrian refugees in Lebanon)

Climate change as a threat multiplier

• Climate change is increasingly recognized as a threat multiplier that can exacerbate existing social, economic, and political stresses
• Rising sea levels, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, and changes in rainfall patterns can displace populations, disrupt food systems, and increase competition for resources (small island states, coastal cities)
• Unequal distribution of environmental costs and benefits can contribute to grievances and perceptions of injustice, particularly among marginalized communities (environmental justice movement)
• Exploitation of natural resources, such as oil, gas, and minerals, can be a source of conflict, particularly in countries with weak institutions and high levels of corruption (Niger Delta conflict)

Environmental cooperation for peace

Dialogue and confidence-building

• Environmental cooperation can provide a platform for dialogue and confidence-building between parties in conflict, as environmental challenges often transcend political boundaries and require joint action
• Transboundary water management initiatives, such as river basin organizations and water-sharing agreements, can promote cooperation and reduce the risk of conflict over shared water resources (Mekong River Commission, Nile Basin Initiative)
• Joint conservation and natural resource management projects can bring together communities in conflict and provide a common goal to work towards, helping build trust and social capital essential for peacebuilding (Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo)

International frameworks for cooperation

• Regional and international environmental agreements, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, can provide a framework for cooperation and help to mitigate the impacts of environmental challenges on security and stability
• Environmental peacebuilding approaches seek to integrate environmental management and peacebuilding efforts to address the underlying environmental drivers of conflict and promote sustainable development
• Initiatives can involve community-based natural resource management, eco-tourism, and sustainable livelihoods programs (Albertine Rift, East Africa)

Challenges of global environmental security

Transboundary nature of environmental challenges

• The transboundary nature of many environmental challenges, such as air and water pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss, requires international cooperation and governance
• Lack of effective global environmental governance mechanisms and the uneven distribution of power and resources among states can hinder collective action (stalled negotiations on a global plastics treaty)
• Globalization of trade and investment can contribute to environmental degradation and resource exploitation, particularly in developing countries with weak environmental regulations and enforcement (deforestation in the Amazon)

Unequal distribution of costs and benefits

• The increasing interconnectedness of global supply chains can make it difficult to trace the environmental and social impacts of production and consumption, limiting the effectiveness of consumer-driven campaigns and corporate social responsibility initiatives in promoting sustainable practices (palm oil production)
• Unequal distribution of environmental costs and benefits between developed and developing countries can contribute to tensions and perceptions of injustice in international environmental negotiations
• Developing countries often bear a disproportionate burden of the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change, while having fewer resources to adapt and respond (small island developing states)
• Complex and long-term nature of many environmental security challenges, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, can make it difficult to mobilize political will and resources for action, as the costs of inaction may not be immediately apparent, while the benefits of action may be diffuse and long-term (delayed action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions)