Question

Discuss environmental threats to security and how are the threats being addressed.

Answer 1

• Environmental changes: drought, desertification, land degradation, failing water supplies; deforestation, fisheries depletion, or ozone depletion are just some of the environmental changes that have been branded in recent decades as having the capacity to undermine human security.
• Climate change is the latest of these and also the one to have gotten the most attention as a potential destabilizer and threat to international peace and security.
• Alongside the environmental impacts of climate change, its impacts on key sectors like water supply, agriculture, health and industry were analyzed, and the consequences for specific regions were assessed. Both reports affirmed that developing countries will be the hardest hit by climate change due to lack of financial, technical, and institutional capacity.
• Resource scarcity is considered to produce the following four principal social effects which have the capacity to increase the probability of conflict in developing countries: i) decreased agricultural, production, ii) economic decline, iii) population displacement, and iv) disruption of legitimized and authoritative institutions and social relations. Poverty would be on rise because of resources becoming scarce.
• All these threats have started to affect the food supply as well especially in developing economies.It could lead to dramatic drops in global wheat production as well as reductions in maize.
• Environmental threats include long-term exposure to toxic pollutants in air, water or food as well as sudden natural or human-induced shocks, such as heatwaves, flooding and storms.
• As people grow older their biological strength declines and they are susceptible to age-related chronic diseases, reduced mobility and strength, and loss of sight and hearing. These difficulties are further compounded by loss of income, and loss of a spouse, friends or family.
• All these factors will determine to what extent an individual’s way of life is disrupted by environmental threats that force them to cope to avoid a decline in their wellbeing.
• Policiesbeing made by the government need to be “age proofed” so that they can support older people through their life, minimise the negative impact of environmental change, and harness the contribution older people can make to addressing a changing world.
• Governments all over the world,are working to develop and implement new and more sustainable ways of growing crops, managing fisheries, forests and wetlands, generating energy, and dealing with waste. India for example,has launched the "Cleaniness movement" encouraging people to not litter and make the environment clean. Also,Europe's initiative of making electric cars by 2030 is another initiative towards not using fuel and keeping the environment clean.