The Environment and our Security

The document analyzes how environmental degradation and natural resource management intersect with global security. It identifies four theoretical frameworks: the Toronto school's focus on resource capture and ecological marginalization; ENCOP's link between market transitions and violence; PRIO's analysis of conflict over abundant resources; and the 'network threats' perspective on global issues like climate change. The author argues that while environmental stress is rarely the sole cause of conflict, it increases the severity and duration of violence. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for managing resource scarcity and abundance, conflict-sensitizing protected areas, and using environmental cooperation as a confidence-building measure in post-conflict reconstruction.

• Research on environment and security since the 1990s has followed two primary paths: redefining security to focus on individuals and the environment rather than just territory, and conducting empirical research on how environmental change threatens peace.
• The 'Toronto school' of research posits that conflict arises not from simple scarcity, but from 'resource capture' by elites and the subsequent 'ecological marginalization' of poorer communities.
• The Swiss Environment and Conflicts Project (ENCOP) suggests that environmental conflict is closely tied to a society's transition from a subsistence economy to a market economy, particularly in remote or mountainous areas.
• Research from the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO) and the World Bank indicates that abundance of valuable resources can drive conflict, with countries dependent on primary commodity exports facing a higher risk of violence during economic declines.
• Climate change is categorized as a 'network threat'—a dispersed, transnational problem where individual behaviors create a global security risk that is difficult to neutralize through traditional force or negotiation.
• While environmental factors are seldom the sole cause of violent conflict, they are observed to increase the severity and duration of such conflicts.
• Environmental cooperation can serve as a tool for 'environmental peacemaking' and confidence-building between conflicting parties, as exemplified by the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan.

APA

Brown, O. (2005). The Environment and our Security. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_env_peace_iran.pdf

Chicago

Brown, Oli. The Environment and our Security. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2005. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_env_peace_iran.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brown |first1=Oli |title=The Environment and our Security |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2005 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_env_peace_iran.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brown2005environment, author = {Brown, Oli}, title = {{The Environment and our Security}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2005}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/security_env_peace_iran.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }