Environmental Security: New Challenges for Comprehensive Security Strategies

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Environmental Security New Challenges for
Comprehensive Security Strategies
NATO, Budapest, November 2007

• Dr. Barbara Haering, Switzerland
• Chair of the Committee on Security Policies of
  the National Council
• e c o n c e p t Inc. Zurich, Switzerland,
  www.econcept.ch

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Growing awareness

• Projected climate changes can not only have
  serious environ-mental, social, and economic
  implications, but implications for peace and
  security, as well.
• Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the UN, 2007
• Climate change is a security issue, but it is not
  a matter of narrow national security it is
  about our collective security in a fragile and
  increasingly interdependent world.
• Margaret Beckett, British Foreign Secretary,
  2007
• Environmental degradation has the potential to
  destabilize already conflict-prone regions,
  especially when compounded by inequitable access
  or politicization of access to scarce resources.
• Kofi Annan, former UNSG

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Environmental security Four major concerns

• Protecting the environment due to its inherent
  moral value Concerns about the adverse impact of
  human activities on the environment.
• Preventing or responding to environmentally
  caused conflicts Concerns about direct and
  indirect effects of environmental change on
  national, regional or trans-regional security.
• Coping with overlapping threats Responding to
  situations where environmental threats and
  conflicts overlap.
• Preventing or repairing military damage to the
  environment Concerns about the adverse impact of
  violent conflicts and military actions on the
  environment.
• Based on Millennium Project of the WFUNA (2007)

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Environmental threats

• Many issues related to the environment can
  threaten security
• Environmental changes due to global warming
  Climate change causes falling water tables,
  desertification, sea level rise, intense storms
  and floods, deadly heat waves.
• Environmental scarcity Environmental scarcity
  has three aspects
• Depletion of environmental resources
• Population growth
• Unequal distribution of resources
• Management of natural resource assets Natural
  resources play an important role in fuelling and
  sustaining conflicts, particularly in Africa.

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Environmental vulnerability

• Environmental vulnerability is a complex
  phenomenon too. It combines
• Exposure The effects of climate change will vary
  in different regions of the world.
• Sensitivity Regions can be more or less
  sensitive to the effects of climate change or to
  consequences of other forms of environmental
  degradation.
• Adaptive capacities The adaptive capacities of
  regions can vary not only but also due to the
  given wealth of a country.

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Energy security

• Global energy demand The global energy demand
  will be doubled by 2030 and will then still rely
  on fossil energy to more than 50.
• Limited resources These resources are limited.
  Oil and gas 40 to 50 years, uranium 40 years,
  coal 120 years. Moreover, these resources are
  unevenly distributed geographically.
• Conflict potential Exploitation of resources,
  energy production as well as trading of resources
  and energy can lead to conflicts. Power over
  resources can be misused and can lead to
  political dependen-cies. We dont want wars on
  resources nor conflicts fought with resources.

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Preventing or/and repairing military damage

• Military risks for the environment Military
  activities and facilities often present risks for
  the environment and human health. Restructu-ring
  or decommissioning such activities or facilities
  may reduce or increase such risks depending on
  whether proper consideration is given to
  environmental factors.
• The Environment and Security Initiative
• Post conflict situation In post-conflict areas
  countries face dangerous leftovers and
  environmental depredation.
• Military assistance On national level, the
  military is already assisting disaster
  management. On international level, protocols are
  in force and initiatives are in discussions.

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Pathways of conflicts over natural resources
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Global ltgt local

• Global climate change with regionally varying
  impacts.
• Global scarcity of resources specifically oil,
  gas and coal.
• Local scarcity of resources arable land and
  water.
• ? The impacts of climate change and
  environmental degradation will mainly be
  local/regional.
• ? The most probable conflicts will be internal
  conflicts.
• ? Indirect, transnational impacts can induce
  strategic conflicts also on an
  international level.

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Gendering environmental security

• 4 to 1 In the Tsunami 2004, by 1 dead man 4
  women died.
• Women in conflicts As conflict patterns change
  from traditional wars to internal conflicts,
  women get more and more involved in conflicts
  as victims, but also as actors.
• Migration The majority of migrants and shelter
  residents are women.
• Violence against women Numerous studies show an
  increase of domestic and sexual violence
  following violent conflicts but also following
  natural disasters.
• Gender neutral is gender blind Women are
  differently affected by environmental security
  issues than man. However, most vulnerability
  studies do not attend to women and men
  specifically nor to the social relations between
  them.

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Vulnerability of women

• For many reasons women are specifically
  vulnerable
• Less access to resources Women have less access
  to resources essential in disaster preparedness,
  mitigation and rehabilitation.
• Overrepresented in vulnerable sectors Women are
  overrepresen-ted in agriculture, self-employment,
  and the informal economy.
• Less possibilities of migration Women are
  primarily responsible for domestic duties and do
  not have the liberty of migration.
• Cultural reasons In many regions women are not
  taught to swim and dress differently than men.
  Moreover, they tend to overexpose themselves to
  save others their children, their parents.

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A challenge and a chance

• Working together on solving environmental
  problems is often the simplest way to
  longer-term, systematic and fundamental
  cooperation. Where conflicts occur environmental
  cooperation may pave the way to broader
  solutions.
• The Environment and Security Initiative
• Managing natural disasters can contribute to
  conflict resolution if the stake-holders are
  willing to take the chance.
• Research indicates that over the long run
  environmental issues lead to more co-operative
  than to conflicting events. The trans-boundary
  management of natural resources can make
  political cooperation necessary.

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Tsunami 2004 in Sri Lanka

• The Tsunami hit Sri Lanka on the south and east
  coast, more than 30000 people died and one
  million people became homeless.
• Former President Kumaratunga and Thamilselvan,
  leader of the political wing of LTTE, both stated
  the disaster would positively influence the
  freedom process.
• However, reconstruction was slow because of the
  struggles between the government and LTTE.
• Following the former air force chief Gunatillake,
  the disaster has nevertheless prevented the
  comeback of war.

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Tsunami 2004 in Aceh

• In Aceh the tsunami killed more than 170000
  people.
• Because of the ongoing violent conflict between
  the Indonesian government and GAM, the Indonesian
  army had to facilitate international disaster
  management support.
• It was the international presence that finally
  lead to a peace agreement between the Indonesian
  government and GAM.
• The peace agreement was signed on August 14, 2005
  only 8 months after the Tsunami.

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Dem Salween

• The river Dem Salween forms a part of the boarder
  between Thai-land and Myanmar. There are plans to
  build several dams in this region for the
  production of electricity.
• However, the potential flood area is a very
  sensitive area
• National park under protection
• Militant ethnic minorities in conflict with the
  government, e.g. Mon, Karen, and 80000 Burmese
  refugees in camps in Thailand that are tolerated
  tacitly
• Despite this potential conflict, the bilateral
  joint venture was signed in December 2005 to
  build the first dam.

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Bangladesh

• The last IPCC report states that Bangladesh will
  increasingly suffer from the consequences of
  climate change.
• Already now, people are forced to leave the
  countryside. However, Dhaka itself is also
  threatened by floods. Leaving for neighboring
  states is not possible because of potential
  conflicts.
• Therefore, a cooperation with other countries in
  the region seems necessary.
• Moreover, climate refugees need an
  international status.

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Arctic

• The opening up of the Northeast Passage due to
  global warming will change the economic dimension
  of the Arctic and the North Atlantic
  Exploitation of natural resources will increase
  and so will shipping.
• This perspective is actually already changing the
  strategic dimen-sion of the region and will
  increase maritime security demands.
• Shall these increasing security demands be
  answered by the military or by civilian
  capacities? Is the militarization of the Arctic
  inevitable? A multilateral coast guard approach
  is needed.

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Recommendations Strategies

• UNO Following the UNSC debate of April 17, 2007,
  the UNO should continue its discussions while
  emphasizing on developing strategic concepts for
  Environmental Security as well as binding
  regulations. Moreover, climate refugees will need
  an international status.
• Environment security strategies In order to
  address environmental security threats an
  international cooperation is required. Therefore,
  countries as well as international organizations
  should elaborate and implement environment
  security strategies. These strategies will have
  to acknowledge womens specific living conditions
  as well as their potential to contribute to
  disaster management and peace building processes.
• Environment mainstreaming Mainstreaming
  environmental factors into foreign and security
  policies becomes indispensable.

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Recommendations Risk management

• A comprehensive environmental security management
  has to strengthen
• Prediction of instabilities A comprehensive
  assessment of environ-mental security risks has
  to be cross-cutting issues, multi stakeholder
  based and trans-boundary.
• Prevention Effective and efficient environmental
  policies as well as a comprehensive human
  security approach are needed.
• Capacity building National and international
  institutions have to be able to cope with or to
  adapt to possible risks.
• Awareness raising Public information and
  education with regard to potential environmental
  security risks should be enhanced.

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Recommendations Energy security

• Reducing energy demands Reducing energy demands
  mainly by increasing energy efficiency as well as
  the use of renewable energies.
• Reliable markets Energy markets ought to be
  transparent and reliable.
• Do no harm policies Moreover, extractive
  industries should comply with corporate social
  and environmental responsibility.
• Labeling Labeling should add transparency and
  declare if natural resources are exploited or
  goods produced according to corporate social and
  environmental responsibility.

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Recommendations Military aspects /1

• Military/civil co-operation With regard to
  environmental security challenges military/civil
  co-operation should be enhanced on both strategic
  and operational level, and this at all stages of
  the crisis management cycle.
• Military training Military training and testing
  should be made less harmful to the environment.
  The use of battle simulators contributes to this
  objective.
• Codes of conduct for military personnel Codes of
  conduct for military personnel should include
  rules and regulations with regard to
  environmental security challenges.

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Recommendations Military aspects /2

• Military private companies (MPC) International
  regulations relating to mercenary and private
  military companies should also include provisions
  with regard to the environment. Moreover, these
  regula-tions should be ratified by all states (up
  to now only 13 have).
• Damages of wars Those responsible for war
  fighting should be made responsible for repairing
  environmental damages. Thereby, new technologies
  for detection and clean-up should be fostered.

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Recommendations CP and CIP

• Increasing international awareness Civil
  protection (CP) as well as critical
  infrastructure protection (CIP) are first and
  foremost national responsibilities. Adaptive
  strategies will have to be developed. However, as
  risks increase, international assistance and
  cooperation demands will increase as well.
• Improving co-operation CP and CIP ask for
  enhanced co-operation
• Civil/military co-operation.
• Intra- and inter-governmental co-operation.
• Public/privat partnerships since important
  critical infrastructures are privately run.

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Recommendations Research

• Prediction Improving the prediction modeling is
  important in order to improve early warning
  systems.
• Gendering vulnerability studies The need for a
  gendered approach to risk assessment studies
  including sex-disaggregated data has to be
  highlighted.
• Foresight Scientific foresight should focus on
  new technologies that could trigger new forms of
  arms races.
• Bridging the gap Bridging the gap between
  scientific knowledge and policy making is a
  prerequisite for successfully coping with the
  environment security challenges we face.

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Recommendations Policy making

• Transinstitutions Environment security
  challenges transnational and cross-cutting with
  regard to traditional policy issues. What we
  need, are transinstitutions bringing together
  state actors, the economy, science, humanities as
  well as NGOs as partner for a sustainable
  collaboration.
• Civil society Strengthening the stakeholders and
  thus organizations of civil society can add to
  conflict prevention and is indispensable for
  rehabilitation and reconciliation after conflicts
  and natural disasters.

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My thanks go to

• Jerome Clayton Glenn, Executive Director of the
  Millennium Project, WFUNA, Washington DC, USA
• Jelena Beronja, ENVSEC, UNEP Vienna ISCC, Austria
• Marie Toloue Tehrani, Uster, Switzerland
• Anik Kohli, econcept AG, Zurich, Switzerland
• Michèle Baettig, econcept AG, Zurich, Switzerland