Millennium
Project home page
21 January 1998
The Millennium Project of the American Council for the United Nations
University in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution and the Futures
Group has the honor to invite you to participate in an international panel
on "Environmental Security." Background on the Project is available at
http://millennium-project.org.
The purpose of this international panel is to identify and judge definitions
of environmental security, provide judgements about policies to address
elements of these definitions, and help define responsibilities for implementing
the policies. Former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said in
April 1996 that, "As we move to the 21st century, the nexus between security
and the environment will become even more apparent." Unfortunately, there
is little clarity about the nature of this nexus, the policies to address
it, and responsibility for leadership in this area. Further this is not
simply an issue for some nations, but all nations.
In addition to the use of the Project's results in education and advanced
training, it is the Project's intention that this work be provided to decision
makers to add focus to important issues, clarify choices, and present a
range of views on policy.
The first round of the Environmental Security Questionnaire poses the
questions: How should environmental security be defined, what are potential
threats to environmental security, what polices should address this issue,
and who should provide the leadership?
If you decide to participate, please complete and return the attached
questionnaire by 18 February 1997. Respond by e-mail to: jglenn@igc.org
or fax to 202-686-5179 or air mail to: Millennium Project, 4421
Garrison Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20016 USA. We prefer that you respond
by email so that no errors are made when reading your comments. Simply
type the question numbers and your responses - you need not re-type the
questions. The results will be sent to you as part of a second and final
round within two months. Results of the second round will also be sent
to you. As in other studies of this sort, the final report will include
the list of participants, but will not associate any particular answer
with an individual - your views will be kept confidential. If you have
any questions please contact us at anytime. We look forward to your responses.
Sincerely yours,
Theodore J. Gordon and Jerome C. Glenn
Millennium Project Co-directors
1. Does your country's Ministry of Defense or Environmental Agency have
a definition of Environmental Security? If so, please include either or
both official or working definitions below or as an attachment. If necessary,
we will translate.
__ Yes __ No __ Currently creating one __ I do not know
2. Please rate the following working definitions of environmental security.
For the purpose of this study a "useful" definition is one that is precise
and can be used as the basis for forming policy. Please use the following
scale to rate the definitions:
1 = Excellent. Should be used as the definition.
2 = Extremely useful. With some modification could be used as a definition.
3 = Very useful, but needs elements of others to make it more complete
and useful
4 = Useful but incomplete. It could be used to add to other definitions
5 = Not useful. Misleads the policy discussion
Also edit and/or comment on the definitions provided below and submit
your own definition or quotations of other definitions at the end of this
section in the space provided.
2.1 Environmental security is the relative public safety from environmental
dangers caused by natural or human processes due to ignorance, accident,
mismanagement or design and originating within or across national borders.
Usefulness ___ Comments:
2.2 Environmental security is the state of human-environment dynamics that includes restoration of the environment damaged by military actions, and amelioration of resource scarcities, environmental degradation, and biological threats that could lead to social disorder and conflict. Usefulness ___
Comments:
2.3 Environmental security is the cycling of natural resources to products,
to wastes, to natural resources in ways that promote social stability.
Usefulness ___ Comments:
2.4 Environmental security is the maintenance of the physical surroundings
of society for its needs without diminishing the natural stock. Usefulness
___ Comments:
2.5 Environmental security is the freedom from social instability due to environmental degradation.
Usefulness ___ Comments:
Please add your own definition or quotations of other definitions:
3. Examples of current or previous threats to environmental security:
| By Ignorance and/or Mismanagement | By Intention | Mix of Natural and Human Action | |
| Within a Country | C.1
Oil spills in Ogoniland Nigeria
|
C.2
Sirin gas attack in
|
C.3
Floods
|
| Trans-border | C.4
Rain forest depletion
|
C.5
Burning oil fields in
|
C.6
Solar radiation changes
|
Please add future or potential threats below using the cell number (C.#)
from the table above. For example, poisoning a water system would be listed
in C.2 (as a threat by intention within a country); a comet hitting the
earth would be listed in C.6 (as a threat from natural process with a transborder
effect).
Potential threats to environmental security:
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
4. Considering the definitions in Section 1 and examples in Section 2, what are the general policies that should be adopted? And who should lead the policy - government (when should leadership come from ministries or departments of defense, state or foreign affairs intelligence, environment, or other government organizations), international organizations (when should leadership come from organizations such as UNEP, IAEA, National Security Council, etc.), NGOs, media, or the private sector? Or is this such a complex global issue that a new kind of institution or organization has to be created to properly provide the leadership?
In addition to the current international environmental treaties, conventions
and protocols under the UN, such as transboundary pollution (acid rain),
endangered species (CITES), desertification, London dumping convention
(ocean pollution), how should governments, international organizations
and others provide common defense against environmental threats? Or if
current treaties, conventions and protocols adequately address the issues,
but need improved monitoring and enforcement, then what policies and leadership
should make those changes?
| POLICY | LEADERSHIP |
| 4.1
|
|
| 4.2
|
You are welcome to attach more if you like.
If you have additional perceptions or comments that should be taken
into consideration on this issue please provide them below. For example:
"Unlike conventional military security, providing for environmental security
has the potential to increase global cooperation; and hence, could be a
deterrence to other forms of warfare."
This completes Round 1. Please return this questionnaire by 18 February 1998.
Thank you for our participation.
June 9, 1998
1. Does your country's Ministry of Defense or Environmental Agency have
a definition of Environmental Security? If so, please send it to the Millennium
Project at the address above. Include either or both official or working
definitions. If necessary, we will translate. You do not need to answer
again if you have already answered this question in the Round 1 questionnaire.
__ Yes __ No __ Currently creating one __ I do not know
2. What do you expect to be the one or two most important environmental
security threats within the next ten years?
3. A list of current, previous, and possible future threats are listed
on pages 2-8. Please identify what institutional sector in the table below
should have the primary policy leadership to address each treat. Please
put the sector's number in the space provided before the threat.
1 = International Organizations (UN, UN organizations and affiliated
institutions, and regional bodies like NATO and OAS).
2 = National Government's Military Organizations
3 = National Government's Civilian Agencies
4 = National Government's Intelligence Agencies
5 = Corporations, Private Sector
6 = NGOs
7 = Not clear who has the lead-responsibility
8 = Others specify
C1 Within a Country, By Ignorance and/or
Mismanagement
Current or previous threats
____ Oil spills in Ogoniland Nigeria
____ Aral Sea depletion in Russia
____ Indonesian fires
____ Ground water contamination
____ Hazardous wastes
Future threats
____ Particulate emission in power plants and factories
____ Over fishing, and environmentally irresponsible fishing techniques
including bottom trawling, long-lining, use of fine-mesh nets, muro ami,
and dynamite fishing
____ Extraction and transport of oil and other resources in environmentally
sensitive areas
____ Transportation of alien species into new ecosystems
____ Chemicalisation of sources and sinks causing depletion of human
health and reproductive capacity
____ Water scarcity (especially in the Middle East, parts of Africa
and China)
____ Soil erosion (worldwide problem)
____ Disease epidemics (eg cholera in Peru 1991)
____ Old growth forests depletion
____ Radioactive waste management; underground nuclear waste storage
tanks
____ Solid waste
____ Urban oil burning power plants
____ Disposal of hazardous/toxic wastes
____ Increasing and intensive using of chemical fertilizer, pesticide
and detergents.
____ Depletion/Damming of internal rivers causing ecological change
____ Contamination of soil through spills or leakage of solid/liquids
requiring remediation
____ Low effective exploitation of mineral resource scattering in village
and local level with primary technology; without or lack of effective official
management.
____ Over consumption trends around the world
____ Settlement/development or encroachment onto hazardous environments
such as riverine and coastal flood plains, earthquake-prone and volcanically
active zones.
____ Settlement/development/misuse of sensitive/hazardous or unsustainable
development environments such as marginal grasslands/arid environments.
____ Settlement/development/misuse of ecologically sensitive zones such
as certain forest, desert, wetland and marine environments.
____ Diversion/misuse of water resources such as diversion of water
courses to agricultural or urban areas at the expense of draining environmentally
sensitive wetlands.
C2 Within a Country, By Intention
Current or previous threats
____ Sirin gas attack in Tokyo subway
____ Chemical attacks in Iraq
Future threats
____ Draining of southern marshes in Iraq
____ Use of specialized equipment by some bottom trawlers which is specifically
designed to "condition" the sea floor by leveling rock formations and coral
heads which serve as critical habit for local species
____ Poisoning water resources (groundwater and surface water)
____ Rapid development of rural industrial development in China, some
of them are heavily polluted industries taking the strategies of " Pollution
first, treatment followed".
____ Soil erosion due to increasing population demand for food.
____ Diversion/misuse of water resources such as diversion of water
courses to agricultural or urban areas at the expense of draining environmentally
sensitive wetlands
C3 Within a Country, Mix of Natural and Human Action
[One respondent's comment was that C3 are really the same as C6]
Current or previous threats
____ Floods
____ Famines
____ Salinization
Future threats
____ The Indonesian fires were not solely an in-country threat to environmental
security - neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore were strongly
affected
____ Transport of species/introduction of non-native species.
____ Fishery depletion
____ Earthquakes disasters
____ Falling river flows and even stopping (e.g., lower reach of the
Yellow River in China)
____ Earthquakes
____ Settlement/development/misuse of sensitive/hazardous or unsustainable
development environments such as marginal grasslands/arid environments.
____ Settlement/development or encroachment onto hazardous environments
such as riverine and coastal flood plains, earthquake-prone and volcanically
active zones.
____ Settlement/development/misuse of ecologically sensitive zones such
as certain forest, desert, wetland and marine environments.
C4 Trans-border, By Ignorance and/or Mismanagement
Current or previous threats
____ Rain forest depletion
____ River usage in (Jordan, Nile, Tigris, Euphrates)
____ Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
____ Diminishing Biodiversity
____ Ozone depletion
Future threats
____ Depletion of Fisheries
____ Extraction and transport of oil and other resources in environmentally
sensitive areas
____ Transportation of alien species into new ecosystems
____ Chemicalisation of sources and sinks causing depletion of human
health and reproductive capacity
____ Ozone layer depletion
____ Global climate change due to greenhouse gases
____ Air pollution and acid rain in newly industrialized countries using
old technologies (China, India, Brazil, South Africa)
____ Poverty
____ Low radiation from accidents occurring in old nuclear power-plants
____ Spills from stockpiles of "old weapons"
____ Radioactive waste management
____ Disposal of chemical and biological wastes
____ Water competition and dam construction
____ The huge amount of coal burning in China (around 800 million tons
of coals directly burned annually)
____ Over fishing of threatened species e.g. Southern Bluefin Tuna and
Patagonia Tooth Fish
____ Environmental impacts of mismanaged human migrations.
____ Scarcity of fossil energy (oil/gas), other scarce sources
____ Settlement/development/misuse of sensitive/hazardous or unsustainable
development environments such as marginal grasslands/arid environments.
____ Settlement/development or encroachment onto hazardous environments
such as riverine and coastal flood plains, earthquake-prone and volcanically
active zones.
____ Diversion/misuse of water resources such as diversion of water
courses to agricultural or urban areas at the expense of draining environmentally
sensitive wetlands.
____ Settlement/development/misuse of ecologically sensitive zones such
as certain forest, desert, wetland and marine environments.
C5 Trans-border, by Intention
Current or previous threats
____ Burning oil fields in Kuwait
Future threats
____ Poisoning water resources (groundwater and surface water)
____ River usage/control (see C4 , add Brahmaputra, etc). Dam construction
in Turkey-Iraq (competition for water), in N. Korea-S Korea. Diversion/misuse
of water resources such as diversion of water courses to agricultural or
urban areas at the expense of draining environmentally sensitive wetlands.
____ Use of specialized equipment by some bottom trawlers which is specifically
designed to "condition" the sea floor by leveling rock formations and coral
heads which serve as critical habit for local species
C6 Trans-border, Mix of Natural and
Human Action
Current or previous threats
____ Solar radiation changes
____ Global Warming
____ AIDS
Future threats
____ Emerging diseases
____ Spread of drug resistant infectious disease
____ Ice storm disaster in Quebec and eastern Ontario
____ Human population growth
____ Poverty and the widening gap between " rich and poor"
____ Increasing spiritual disconnectedness from Nature
____ Big fires that are occurring , more and more frequently in the
rain forest (Indonesia, Australia, Amazonia) and Mediterranean countries
____ Desertification
____ Infectious disease of plants and animals
____ Settlement/development/misuse of sensitive/hazardous or unsustainable
development environments such as marginal grasslands/arid environments.
____ Settlement/development or encroachment onto hazardous environments
such as riverine and coastal flood plains, earthquake-prone and volcanically
active zones.
____ Settlement/development/misuse of ecologically sensitive zones such
as certain forest, desert, wetland and marine environments.
Additional comments are most welcome:
Thank you for your participation. Please send fax to the Millennium Project at 202-686-5179 or mail to Millennium Project, 4421 Garrison Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016.