SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT
COMPONENT – GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
Capt. Teaching Assistant SORIN MIHAI
Lt. MIHAI HANGU
Abstract
The dimension of the environment problem represents, in the conditions of our epoch, an
inseparable and very important part of national security. Disasters caused by earthquakes,
floods, draughts, can have short term effects on national security but others, like the thinning
of the ozone layer and the global heating have long term effects on the planet security. The
existence of nuclear weapons represents a potential danger and in the case of their being
used many a questions marks are raised weather man and even the planet will survive. The
factors that have to be used in resolving such a problem represent a global responsibility,
because the environment security, in the context of the economical interdependence, has
become our common moral responsibility.
The components of the concept of national security
When we start debating the problem of the environment security we
have to begin by a very close study on the globalization-security report,
which shows a long neglectence of the medium security element, motivated,
by the responsibilities and economical implications which derive from the
destruction of the surrounding environment and in consequence from the
individual destruction of people and their communities by this huge
globalization phenomena.
Barry Buzan has an explicit admittance of the environment factor, as a
major sector affected by the globalization in the security perimeter. Buzan
underlines that the security of human collectivities is affected by five
major sectors: military, politically, economically, socially, and
environmentally. In the environment security we find involved the
biosphere well being, as an essential support for the other human activities.
These five sectors operate, from Buzan perspective, united through a
complex network.
The new development underlines the correct perspective on security.
The security of nonmilitary aspects is so important that indeed it has to be
studied with an increased attention. Among these, the environment
security remains the newest and the most dangerous problem from the
others caused by the globalization [1].
The political dimension of the security is very important, because it
expresses “the organizational stability of the countries, of the
governmental systems and of the main ideas that legitimates them“. In a
powerful state, which usually is associated with a democratic one, where
the authority and the people’s right are two very important elements which
are at the base of the state concept, the internal bonding creates the starting
point for an authentic national security, because the political factor in not
affected by deranging aspects. In a world of interdependences, it exists the
possibility for the powerful states to use the external threatening as a way
of keeping and maintaining the internal bonding at a high level. When
speaking of weaker countries, the reference object of national security is
hard to define, because we don’t have a clear view on the concept, the
succession of some representative groups at the head of the country,
without clear governing programs, bring, trough their presence insecurity.
The lack of an efficient power succession mechanism determines
uncountable treat of political order, which can take the shape of
governmental crises, violent manifestations which affect the national
security.
The military dimension presumes the army power of disposing of
offensive and defensive capacities. Also the states have to know of one
another intentions. In a contemporary world, one of the important
attributes of the state is providing a military power which can answer to
the country’s defensive needs and in the same time to be powerful enough
to represent a treat for the potential enemies. During the cold war all the
“zero sum” principle was adopted. Through this principle every party
concentrated on any change that might modify the distribution of the
power, the proliferation of high-tech equipment being looked upon as a
way of self defense.
The economical dimension is conferred by the resources access,
finances and markets, with the purpose of maintaining an acceptable level
of the well being of the state. Also, the economical security means the
existence of an industrial base capable of producing military techniques
which are necessary for the country’s defense. That’s way, a country with
high economical performances is looked upon like a threat for the security
of the other countries, and the state which has a low economy also has
problems with his national security, becoming a target for the powerful
countries. The economical capacity of a state represents the base principal
of the existence of that state, because the other security components
depend directly on the economical capacity.
The social dimension of the security presumes the invention of some
new national strategies which can determine a realistic policy in the
domain of the welfare and security of the people. This can be realized by
increasing the degree of techniques and by raising the life and work
standard. Through this we secure a high level of proficiency and health.
Also, a very important objective is represented by the conservation of
language, culture and religious traditions, which define the nation in her
relations with other countries [2].
The surrounding environmental component
The attempts of securing the values of the surrounding environment
have a more recent history in report with the other components.
The debate on environment security has evolved during this last years
from the antinuclear hobby to the concern of losing the civilization. The
national security strategies of the present are concerned on two important
points: the surrounding environment and the civilization-environment
network. These problems will be looked upon with even an increased
concern in the future because of the continual growth of the population.
When talking about globalization, the preponderance of resolving the
problems directly by the state will reduce. The states won’t be capable of
taking care by themselves of their surrounding environment. The principle
actors which will introduce and apply the rules will be the international
structures. The influence will come hitherto from the part of the
community which investigates the necessity of an urgent intervention in
different areas of the globe, constructs an agenda of intervention and
communicates this agenda to the political elites and using the press, to the
public opinion.
The national policy in this domain has to increase the level of
knowledge of this problems by the population, to offer founds for research
in the domain and to inform continually the public opinion from the states
which are in the main areas.
The national security politic of NATO and UE members already gives
a high importance to this problem. Also, the countries have to give an
increased attention to the international and transnational agencies which
take care of this problem and even more, they have to cooperate with these
agencies to reduce the dangers that threaten the regional and worldly ecosystem.
The security policies will have in the future common points of interest:
the democracy, human rights, market economy and the regional and
planetary ecosystem.
Many of the economical and social sources of insecurity from our
world are in a tight bond with the problems of surrounding environment.
Some authors have underlined that the growing lack agricultural terrains,
water reserves, forests and fish combined with the clime changes have an
important impact on the international security. The petrol control was one
of the principal problems which caused the Golf War, and the tensions
created by the dispute between the arabs and jues for the control of the
water resources that are on the west shore of the Jordan have complicated
the efforts for obtaining a durable peace in the region.
During the last years it becomes more evident that the human kind is
in profound ecological crises. There are debates upon the problems that
can be politically discussed and upon the problems that have to be attended
to immediately. As we can plainly see, disasters as Cernobal or massive
floods dictate immediate actions that are to prevent their happening again.
In these cases, generally speaking, the geographical location and the level
of the population welfare play a decisive role in the interest given to the
combat of the disaster’s effects. For example, the governs of a poor
countries tend to perceive the industrial environment problem as
something that they cannot afford.
Studies show that there are three categories of threats which define the
component of surrounding environment:
1. the threats that come from the environment at the address of human
civilization, which are not the result of human actions: earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions, meteor crashes and the natural cycle of returning to a
glacier era;
2. threats caused by the human actions on natural systems or on
planet’s structures, when the changes that have been made seem to
constitute threats at the address of a part or to the hall civilization;
3. the threats caused by the human actions on the systems or planet
structures, when the changes that have been done seem not to be regarded
as threats on short term, but on the long run they constitute into problems
(mineral exploitation) [3].
These three points contain a variety of problems:
– the destruction of the ecosystems: clime changes, the loss of
biodiversity, forest cutting and other forms of pollution.
– energy problems: reduction, rarity and the unequal distribution of
these resources.
– demographical problems: the increase of the population and the
increase of the consumption of the resources in report with the planet
possibilities.
– food connected problems: the poverty, the hunger, the degradation
of the land and the disappearance of the water resources.
– social conflicts: the wars that produce ecological losses.
Except the “destruction of the ecosystems” none of the above
problems is a problem exclusive ecological. These problems find common
points with the other dimensions of human existence, and so with the
security, but here there are regarded from different points of the impact that
they have upon the natural environment. In this context, there are some
problems which are stressed like: the dictatorship, the violence, the
political instability and massive population movements.
The problem of clime changes worries the specialists because, in this
way there are created vulnerabilities, risks, dangers and even threats to the
human security, this problems being very hard to ameliorate and combat.
As to the global heating, it is defined through growing in time of the ocean
and atmosphere temperature.
So, during the last fifty years, the following tendencies have been
detected:
– the rise of the medium temperature at the surface with 0,6°C,
following that it will grow up to5,8°C till 2,100.
– the thinning of the snow and ice layer from the North Pole.
– the rise of the medium level of the sea and ocean temperature.
– the growth of the level of precipitation with 0,5-1% at ten years,
specially in the Nordic hemisphere.
– atmosphere alteration because of the toxic gases and aerosols which
resulted from the human activity [4].
The causes of this phenomenon are to be found in the internal
processes of the planet and also in the external ones of a human or
nonhuman nature. The main cause is the gases emissions which have
resulted as a consequence of human activity.
Clime changes, especially global heating, have affected the majority of
biological and physical systems in many parts of the world: the glacier
melting, late freezing and fast melting of the rivers and lakes, the
disappearance of some species of plants and animals. More importantly the
human existence its self is threatened by this happenings so being created
an environment for the unforeseen events with negative effects.
For example, the growing of the temperature can lead to: the increase of
deaths caused by cardiovascular problems at the elders; the increase of the
crop destruction risk, the growing electricity demand [5].
The increase of precipitation causes floods, mud slides, the destruction
of flora and fauna from the flooded area, the destruction of human
property. In Romania’s case this events have increased during the last few
years. It is obvious, that in our country, during the last few years, the
medium temperature has increased. According to the studies conducted by
the ANM, in Romania, there are some regional temperature differences.
Outside the Carphatian border, in Muntenia, Oltenia and Moldova the
increase of the temperature is higher than in Transylvania. During the last
100 years, the medium temperature in Romania has grown with 0,4°C. The
consequence is that the extreme meteorological phenomena have multiplied,
so we have abundant rains, more very hot days, and the increase of
medium temperature during summer; we have fewer winter days, the
disappearance of the beaches as a result of the growing of the sea level. In
2005, the first wave of inundations from Romania affected thousands of
lives (24 dead), has destroyed many houses, 89 schools, 24 churches , 375
km of national roads, 699 destroyed bridges and 300,000 ha of land have
been engulfed by the water [6]. September has brought a new wave of
inundations, with very important effects on rural and city zones.
During the same time, the hurricanes Katrina and Rita have provoked
innumerable losses of human lives and huge material losses in SUA,
proving that in front of the nature we can’t of big powers, small countries
or any other evolved states. Only the system of response to these disasters
can demonstrate the differences of development between the countries [7].
REFERENCES
[1] http://impactstrategic.unap.ro/reviste/cup_20.html
[2] Moise, Sorin, Faţete ale conceptului de securitate, Colocviu Strategic nr. 5 (LII),
aprilie 2006
[3] Buzan, Barry, Waever, Ole, de Wilde, Jaap, Security: A New Framework for
Analysis, London, Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc, 1998, pp. 14-17
[4] *** Climate Change 2001: Summary for Policymakers. A Report of Working
Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001,
http://www.ipcc.ch.
[5] Sarcinschi, Alexandra, Dimensiunile nonmilitare ale securităţii, Bucureşti,
Editura Universităţii Naţionale de Apărare, 2005, p. 36
[6] http://www.mai.gov.ro.
[7] Sarcinschi, Alexandra, cit.ed., pp. 37-38