Expalin what is meant by 'environmental security'. with reference to Essay

Expalin what is meant by 'environmental security'. with reference to appropriate empirical examples, asses how far environmental - Essay Example Environmental security translates into cultural, political, religious and social security. The environmental security focuses on the effects and impacts of international relations and human conflict on the environment. The environmental security involves three elements such as protecting the environment, responding and preventing conflicts due to the environment and repairing and preventing damage to the environment caused by the military action (Dobson 2006, p. 206). Background to Environmental Security It is vital that a nation properly withstands environmental risks and adverse changes, environmental asset scarcity, environmental conflicts and tensions. When climatic changes are managed within nations, and affected regions, the changes caused such as shortages in food production and altered resource alignments may not necessarily result into ethnic tensions, political disputes, regional defence alignments and global conflict. The environmental security study has a concern that the environmental problems, specifically environmental degradation and resource scarcity, could result into vicious conflict between societies and states. In fact, it is true that environmental issues such as pollution, depletion of the ozone layer and many others with environmental designation have become part of the political discourse internationally (Linklater 2006, p. 77). The environmental security proponents argue that if environmental change can be considered as a source of social unrest and if environmental change is a danger to societies, the concept of security and its policies have to be changed. This argument led the emergence of two groups during the 1980s that were considering the relationship between security and environment. There was environmental policy community to address the security implications environmental change and a security community to look into new definition of the national security. Security has always been seen to have two main functions such as to pr eserve a sate’s territorial integrity and the state’s preferred political leadership (Balzaqc 2005, p. 180). Though presently there is no preferred clear definition of environmental security, the cause effect analysis can be used to come up with a more reasonable, more encompassing and accommodating definition. To achieve environmental security, the support of training, education, capacity building, and information exchange are highly necessary. This achievement can easily be realized when the international institutions and eco- geographical regions are clearly defined (Linklater 2006, p. 77). Environmental changes can be considered as both a cause and a result of conflict. These conflicts can lead to serious economic strain as well as regional and global animosity. History has shown that there is territorial demarcation, which is dependent on the link between resource scarcity, environmental degradation and territorial fights over continental shelves, raw materials, i slands, food and energy. In the traditional and native governments, state powers were dependent fundamentally on the natural scarce resources contained within its territory. The state power increased to be dependent on other key natural resources that are not within its territory (Balzaqc 2005, p. 182). In the modern days, state powers are dependent on the state’s ability to change and convert these natural resources into consumer goods. This transformation may lead