Environment and Security

Environment and Security

Environmental security refers to the protection of important ecosystem services and assurance of a supply of natural resources, including water, soil, energy, and minerals, in order to enable continued economic and social well being."

Table of Contents

1 The Expanding Definition of National Security

2 Background and History of Environment and Security

3 Environmental Intelligence Gathering

4 U.S. EPA Engagement

5 Twenty-First Century Challenges

6 Dynamics of Environmental Security

7 Harnessing Intellectual Capital

8 Conclusions

9 References

10 Disclaimer:

The Expanding Definition of National Security

Future global ecosystems will be under even greater pressure when by 2050 global population will reach about 9 billion, some 30 percent higher than… The essence of global security is acquisition of economic well-being and…

Background and History of Environment and Security

The widely-known 1972 “The Limits to Growth” report by the Club of Rome called attention to the risks associated with natural resource scarcities… A decade later in “Redefining Security,” Richard Ullman identified a number of… To avert these security implications, Ullman argued for redefinition of the threat to national security to include…

Environmental Intelligence Gathering

All of the scientists in MEDEA were given access to highly classified intelligence-gathering data and information. The scientists were allowed to… In a review of MEDEA activities Jeffrey Richelson (1998) called the MEDEA… While MEDEA was discontinued by the Bush administration, the CIA has reactivated the program as part of a new CIA…

U.S. EPA Engagement

An important aspect of the SAB report was their recommendation that the US develop strategic national policies linking national security, foreign… At that time, the term “environmental security” had different meanings in… At the time of the SAB report, EPA’s role in environmental security was just beginning. While EPA had significant…

Twenty-First Century Challenges

Events in the decade from 2000 to 2010 were dominated by the 9/11 attack and subsequent war on terrorism. The events of 9/11 have sharpened the… Travel writer Paul Theroux, who as a young author lived in Africa in the… "A host of new global challenges may soon require imaginative and sustained responses. These nontraditional…

Dynamics of Environmental Security

Figure 2. Dynamic resource flows related to environmental security We use Figure 2 as a base upon which to highlight the impact of emerging economic and social drivers, and government…

Harnessing Intellectual Capital

How can this be done? Three fundamental sources of intellectual capital are available to strengthen the responses shown in Figure 4. These are… Science and Technology: Today more than ever in the past, the constructive… One area where sustainability science is crucial is protecting human health. Today global health impacts from toxic…

Conclusions

While there is significant discussion about international efforts to promote green economy, the world is a long way from realizing this concept of… In response to the drivers that threaten environmental security, this paper… · Vitality and Resilience of ecosystems

References

2. CIA,CIA Opens Center on Climate Change and National Security, Press Release, September 25, 2009 3. Chertow, M. R. “The IPAT Equation and Its Variants; Changing Views of… 4. CNA Corporation, 2007. National Security and the Threat of Climate Change. Alexandria, Va.: CNA.