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Environmental security
Introduction
An environment basically refers to the total surrounding of all organisms both living and the dead, including natural forces that come into place. All these factors provide conditions for development and growth of an economy whereas on the other hand security refers is a set of customs and rules that govern a society. Therefore environmental security simply means how our surrounding is being protected to avoid damage and depletion of the resources.
Many of the natural resources include water, land, air, soil, energy, minerals and all those that are in the resources. Environmental security entails the basic protection of the most important resources that we have e.g. the ecosystem service and have a complete assurance that there will be a constant supply of the resource in the near future without depletion.
The human society and its natural surrounding is being threatened by the new global pressures that have been posing challenges on degradation an depletion of the natural resources. The global pressures may include competition to access of water, land, minerals and other fundamental resources, increase in the population of various countries thus posing pressure in land, there has been an increase in the demand for energy due to increased number of people thus having many industries for provision of employment and manufacture of food.
Thus our vital resources face danger of depletion and damage if no proper regulations and rules are not set to allow these resources to be protected. Demand for natural resource will increase by the year 2050 mostly in developing countries. Eradication of poverty in the developing countries may pose pressures to the natural available resources. The impact of this will be degradation of water, clean air, soil, forest, wet lands and cause global climate all these factors compromise energy security, domestic and international concerns, food security.
Thus the main aim of global security is to have an economic well being and have a social justice for all. The main challenges that the environmental security is facing is that creating global conditions that will foster and maintain economic growth and well being of the human in a sustainable manner. Therefore how will the society address these key issues in environmental security?
History of environmental and security
In history there has been issues arising about environment and security e.g. the oil embargo of 1972 that led to gas rationing around the world. But in the end most research was done by the government and scholars and fount out ways of coexisting in a peaceful manner.
The report by Club of Rome named the limits of growth showed clearly the risks that were posed to the environment. It basically pointed out the connections between the environment and its security. This was observed in most developing countries which could even lead to an outbreak of violence and pose security related threats.
Richard Ullman identified environmental problems that could highly pose a major security problem leading to security implications. They included conflicts over territory, earthquakes, having internal rebellions, population growth, resource scarcity and other natural disasters.
In 1987 the relation between the environment and security become evident after the publication of the UN report of the world commission on environment and development. It was the first one to be published about the issues of environmental security.
Norman Myers (1993) and Thomas Dixon (1993) said “National security is no longer about fighting forces and weaponry alone. It relates increasingly to watersheds, croplands, forests, genetic resources, climate, and other factors rarely considered by military experts and political leaders, but that taken together deserve to be viewed as equally crucial to a nation’s security as military prowess.”
Environmental Intelligence Gathering
As the link between environment and security grew, then Senator Al Gore recognized the importance of linking the collection and synthesis of scientific data from the public and intelligence domains. Gore contacted then CIA director Robert Gates about mutually initiating supportive projects. Gates, in turn was supportive and discussions that followed led to the creation of science based group called MEDEA. The name MEDEA was chosen by CIA official Linda Zall for the character in Greek mythology who helped Jason and the Argonauts steal the Golden Fleece (Richelson 1998)
All of the scientists in MEDEA were given access to highly classified intelligence-gathering data and information. The scientists were allowed to study archival data and suggest innovative uses of CIA resources for scientific research. MEDEA scientists were able to access U.S. spy satellite data and studied about two dozen ecologically sensitive sites around the world. They hoped to generate significant results to help with environmental research, particularly with respect to global warming.
In a review of MEDEA activities Jeffrey Richelson (1998) called the MEDEA “scientists in black,” noting that MEDEA was unique in that never before had the intelligence community worked so openly with a group of scientists outside the government. For scientists the unrestricted dissemination of data is the norm. For the intelligence community, data and information is restricted to those who "need to know." MEDEA research results tried to bridge this gap.
While MEDEA was discontinued by the Bush administration, the CIA has reactivated the program as part of a new CIA focus on the implications of climate change on U.S. national security. In 2009 CIA director Leon Panetta said, “Decision makers need information and analysis on the effects climate change can have on security. The CIA is well positioned to deliver that intelligence.” (CIA 2009)
At the same time, the CIA was involved in creating the Center on Climate Change and National Security. The mandate of this new center was less on the science of climate change than on the national security impact of phenomena such as desertification, rising sea levels, population shifts, and heightened competition for natural resources.
Thus for us to ensure global security then the three pillars of sustainable development must come into play. The simply include economic prosperity, environmental protection and social justice.
Dynamics of environmental security
The international properties that keep it dynamic are include trade and tourism, education, migration, mutual aid, foreign investment thus national security will entail a smooth running of the all these factors and ensuring that that there are no disruptions due to maybe natural forces.
The figure below shows the relationships of the factors

The major factors that pose a threat to environmental security include scarcity of resources, high levels of birth rate thus increasing the population, disruptions in climate and ecosystem due to global warming effect and economic growth.
Increase in birth rate will mean that that number of people in a given area will be high thus there will be high pressure on the available resource hence making them scarce. Increase of industries and use of nuclear weapons may disrupt the peaceful ecosystem hence affecting the climate.
The question is how will the society respond to such factors? How will they avoid national and international conflicts? Hence the following measures have been put in place to answer the questions. They include; controlled resource extraction and use, poverty alleviation, regulations and risk management and infrastructure development.
The need of managing resources in a more effective manner and efficient was core to the creation of the EPA in 1970. The practice of regulations measures and anticipation of the risks was key in resource management.
Evaluation of the risk faces a challenge due to inadequate regulatory authority. Most government committee that oversees the activities of mining and any other are highly compromised. Sometimes the governments to interfere with the work the committee are doing to protect the environment from degradation and depletion of the resources.
Control over consumption or resources is also a major or key factor in ensuring that no depletion for the natural resources e.g. minerals, food, energy, land, and ocean. The size of these commodities has heavily declined in their amount due to careless usage without regulation. The prices of grains have shoot up due to imbalance in supply and demand. Low supplies with high demand results to high prices of commodities hence exerting pressure on the natural resources.
Careful of land use must be ensured by ensuring that the public understands the concerns raised on the importance of proper care to our available resource through public awareness platforms. If there will be failure in controlling extraction conflicts may arise among communities and nations over fuel, food, water and also mineral water.
Higher population is moving to urban centers to find employment due to the improved infrastructure. Poor infrastructure may also pose a challenge in environmental security.

Intellectual capital harnessing
The figure above basically shows how factors in an environment relate to each and the effects each may have. Global economic and social drivers could impact heavily on the society well being and the natural resources. Therefore it`s time for the global society to come together and agree on ways of working together to avoid depletion of resources and degradation since the effects of this will affect them globally. Through this they will be able to achieve a sustainable economy, reduction of environmental threats and a well enhanced international security.
The question is how will these be achieved or done? Three vital sources of intellectual capital will be used in trying to achieve the objective. They include science and technology, enterprise strategies and interagency collaboration.
Science and technology
The higher power of science and technology has propelled human beings into new and high global well being. Proper research in science may help in one able to identify problems early and take precautionary measures, promote also innovation and have a decision support mechanism. Technology and science involves creative design of products, organization, systems and even processes. Proper implementation of well designed strategies that will harness technology and ideas to avoid environmental problems before even they arise.
Science is indeed vital in protection of human health. Global health results due to toxic inhalations of heavy metals pesticides. Therefore to decrease or completely eliminate this danger to human health that is posed by the emissions from industries there must be an introduction of innovative technologies that will help in protecting human health. Use of science and technology has been evident across all federal agencies.
Enterprise strategy
The strategic importance of enterprise sustainability has been seen in a variety of forces even including the high expectation of the customers and other stakeholder groups by embracing stringent laws and regulations that will govern the environment.
Why is this important? And how does it relate to national environmental security? It`s important in the sense that by following of the set up laws there will be peaceful coexistence among countries since there will be no conflicts over land or water or minerals extraction. Contribution of a sustainable society will be enhanced by companies by reducing cost of production thus raising the standards of living around the world.
Another emerging trend is the awareness enterprise resilience which means the capacity to survive, adapt and grow in a turbulent environment. Business are learning much from the ecosystem whereby species of plants and animals struggle for food, growth, security and yet they survive without affecting the environment in a negative way.
Interagency collaboration
This involves having many agencies which are protecting the environment working together to achieve one single objective. It was important to involve networks and security and environmental analysts (Parthemore and Rogers 2010).

Conclusion
Finally environmental security involves a number of driving forces that threatens it thus there was need to have them controlled by having a number of strategic responses. Their effectiveness will be measured in terms of continuity and competitiveness of the nation’s industrial base, having equal opportunity for disadvantaged groups, having a quality and secure life for communities.
Adverse outcomes may result if there will be failure in achieving the above factors and this will pose a major threat to conflicts over minerals, water, land and energy.

References
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Coskun, H. G. (2008). Integration of information for environmental security environmental security, information security, disaster forecast and prevention, water resources management. Dordrecht: Springer.
Dalby, S. (2002). Environmental security. Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press.
Deudney, D., & Matthew, R. A. (1999). Contested grounds security and conflict in the new environmental politics. Albany: State University of New York Press.
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