Five Urgent Questions on Ecological Security
Publisher: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Author(s): Dan Smith and Rod Schoonover
Date: 2023
Topics: Climate Change, Land, Livelihoods, Public Health, Renewable Resources, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
The increasing pressure of ecological disruption on people and on security means that ideas and policy on peace and security must increasingly address the need for ecological security. This paper poses five research questions concerning: (a) amplification of antimicrobial resistance (pathogens that are increasingly drug-resistant); (b) the physiological consequences of pollution; (c) the loss of nature’s contribution to people’s well-being; (d) local and regional ecological tipping points; and (e) detrimental organisms and processes that thrive in the rapidly changing planet.
Each question has a human health dimension, with likely socio-economic impacts and effects on behaviour, as well as potential effects on security and political stability. Understanding these issues is essential if appropriate responses are to be developed.