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Regional Security: An Ecological Necessity

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From Environmental to Comprehensive Security

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice ((BRIEFSTEXTS,volume 13))

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Abstract

Most of the endless interstate conflicts that plague humankind are between nearby nations, and their ultimate resolution is often attempted by a threat of force if not an actual resort to arms. Some more or less modest fraction of these conflicts is at least in part over shared natural resources or derives in some other way from the human environment.

This Chapter is reproduced from the author’s Entries #191 and #192 provided in Chapter 2, with the original titles, ‘Environmental approaches to regional security’ and ‘Regional security in a wider context’, respectively; here combining major excerpts from each. They are used here by permission of the International Peace Research Institute Oslo and the United Nations Environment Programme, the joint copyright holders, each as given on 18 March 2013. The author is pleased to acknowledge the research assistance of T. Daniel Kjelling and Carol E. Westing.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As at February 2013, there are perhaps 195 sovereign states (the 193 members of the United Nations plus Taiwan and Vatican City), of which 151 are coastal (including 49 which are islands) and 44 are landlocked.

  2. 2.

    Formally protected areas worldwide as of September 2012: 1.6 % of the ocean (although ca 7 % of territorial waters), and 12.7 % of the land (cf. http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ppr2012_903.html).

  3. 3.

    The world population as at March 2013 is ca 7 billion, currently increasing at the compound rate of ca 1.1 % (giving a doubling time of ca 63 years). Cf. also Chap. 10, Appendix 10.1.

  4. 4.

    The UN Charter (San Francisco, 26 June 1945; in force, 24 October 1945; UNTS unlisted) as at March 2013 is binding on 193 states.

  5. 5.

    The 1974 Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (UNTS 25986) was superceded by the 1992 Convention of same name (UNTS 36495).

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  1. Security and Education, Westing Associates in Environment, Fred Houghton Rd 134, Putney, VT, 05346, USA

    Arthur H. Westing

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Westing, A.H. (2013). Regional Security: An Ecological Necessity. In: From Environmental to Comprehensive Security. SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice(), vol 13. Springer, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00687-1_4

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