Global Environmental Change and Human Security

O’Brien, Karen; Barnett, Jon

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-75977-5_24

Cited by 39 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 134 publications

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“…What are often called "natural disasters" were avoided by maintaining conditions, especially social conditions, that kept vulnerability low (9). ii) Supporting the work of many others (1,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12), our analysis demonstrates that social factors are substantial contributors to vulnerability. Although researchers and managers recognize the role of social conditions, management of food security may address simply the availability of food resulting from population-resource balance.…”

Section: Summary and Recommendationssupporting

confidence: 75%

“…10) and one of the core components of human well-being as identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board (16). Food security refers to "physical and economic access to basic food" (ref.…”

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exposure to environmental risks is but one component of potential for disasters. Social, political, and economic processes play substantial roles in determining the scale and kind of impacts of hazards (1,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). "Disasters triggered by natural hazards are not solely influenced by the magnitude and frequency of the hazard event (wave height, drought intensity etc.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

Nelson

Ingram

Dugmore

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

133

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This paper identifies rare climate challenges in the long-term history of seven areas, three in the subpolar North Atlantic Islands and four in the arid-to-semiarid deserts of the US Southwest. For each case, the vulnerability to food shortage before the climate challenge is quantified based on eight variables encompassing both environmental and social domains. These data are used to evaluate the relationship between the "weight" of vulnerability before a climate challenge and the nature of social change and food security following a challenge. The outcome of this work is directly applicable to debates about disaster management policy.anaging disasters, especially those that are climate-induced, calls for reducing vulnerabilities as an essential step in reducing impacts (1-8). Exposure to environmental risks is but one component of potential for disasters. Social, political, and economic processes play substantial roles in determining the scale and kind of impacts of hazards (1,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). "Disasters triggered by natural hazards are not solely influenced by the magnitude and frequency of the hazard event (wave height, drought intensity etc.), but are also rather heavily determined by the vulnerability of the affected society and its natural environment" (ref. 1, p. 2). Thus, disaster planning and relief should address vulnerabilities, rather than returning a system to its previous condition following a disaster event (6).Using archaeologically and historically documented cultural and climate series from the North Atlantic Islands and the US Southwest, we contribute strength to the increasing emphasis on vulnerability reduction in disaster management. We ask whether there are ways to think about climate uncertainties that can help people build resilience to rare, extreme, and potentially devastating climate events. More specifically, we ask whether vulnerability to food shortfall before a climate challenge predicts the scale of impact of that challenge. Our goal is both to assess current understandings of disaster management and to aid in understanding how people can build the capability to increase food security and reduce their vulnerability to climate challenges.We present analyses of cases from substantially different regions and cultural traditions that show strong relationships between levels of vulnerability to food shortage before rare climate events and the impact of those events. The patterns and details of the different contexts support the view that vulnerability cannot be ignored. These cases offer a long-term view rarely included in studies of disaster management or human and cultural well-being (for exceptions, see refs. 13 and 14). This long time frame allows us to witness changes in the context of vulnerabilities and climate challenges, responding to a call for more attention to "how human security changes through time,

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Section: Summary and Recommendationssupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

Nelson

Ingram

Dugmore

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

133

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“…While the exact outcomes of these processes may be difficult to forecast, it is clear that human social organization aimed at securitizing social and natural conditions is, in fact, undermining the security of natural conditions and thus ultimately the relative stability of social organization (Barnett et al 2010). Changing human migration patterns, malnutrition, the spread of infectious diseases, deaths from extreme weather events, can all be expected to add to the costs of human societies as a result of our collective and individual actions (Abbot 2008).…”

Section: Global Warming Direct and Indirect Harmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Criminalizing Ecological Harm: Crimes Against Carrying Capacity and the Criminalization of Eco-Sinners

Mares

2010

Crit Crim

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This article examines how a broader class of environmentally harmful behavior can be examined from a criminological frame of reference. By using examples of soil degradation and anthropogenic climate change, it is argued that environmentally damaging behavior is similar to many other types of crime. Particularly when taken from the standpoint that environmentally harmful behavior is ultimately detrimental to human social organizations by undermining 'carrying capacity', outright criminalization might strike many as a valid option. Nonetheless, there are also some fundamental differences that will ultimately prevent a strict legalistic perspective from being successful in minimizing ecological harm. Instead, this article argues that criminologists need to emphasize the importance of shaming and status rewards in pursuing a greener future.

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“…Climate change is undermining the security of states and people in ways that are unprecedented in complexity and spatial reach . Although there is ongoing academic debate about the causal linkages from climate change to conflict, researchers and policymakers widely agree that climate change has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities in already unstable regions by shaping social, political, and economic circumstances . As climate security challenges are typically transnational in character, states are increasingly relying on intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the European Union (EU), the North‐Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), that is, formal, multilateral, or bureaucratic arrangements established to further cooperation among states (Ref , pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intergovernmental organizations and climate security: advancing the research agenda

Dellmuth

Gustafsson

Bremberg

et al. 2017

WIREs Climate Change

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Climate-related security challenges are transnational in character, leading states to increasingly rely on intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)-such as the European Union and the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization-for policy solutions. While climate security issues do not typically fit comfortably within the mandates of existing IGOs, recent decades have seen increasing efforts by IGOs to link climate change and security. This article reviews existing studies on IGOs' responses to climate security challenges. It draws together research from several bodies of literature spanning political science, international relations, and environmental social science, identifying an emerging field of research revolving around IGOs and climate security. We observe significant advancement in this young field, with scholars extending and enriching our understanding of how and why IGOs address climate security challenges. Yet we still know little about the conditions under which IGOs respond to climate security challenges and when they do so effectively. This article discusses the main gaps in current work and makes some suggestions about how these gaps may be usefully addressed in future research. A better understanding of the conditions under which IGOs respond (effectively) to climate security challenges would contribute to broader debates on climate security, institutional change, and effectiveness in international relations and environmental social science, and may facilitate crafting effective global solutions to society's most intractable climate security challenges.© 2017 The Authors. WIREs Climate Change published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. How to cite this article:WIREs Clim Change 2018, 9:e496. doi: 10.1002/wcc.496 INTRODUCTION S ocieties worldwide are currently being confronted by a new class of security challenges posed by climate change. Climate change is undermining the security of states and people in ways that are unprecedented in complexity and spatial reach. 1 Although there is ongoing academic debate about the causal linkages from climate change to conflict, [2][3][4][5][6] researchers and policymakers widely agree that climate change has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities in already unstable regions by shaping social, The copyright line in this article was changed on 22 January 2018 after online publication. Conflict of interest:The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article. political, and economic circumstances. [7][8][9][10] As climate security challenges are typically transnational in character, states are increasingly relying on intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the European Union (EU), the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), that is, formal, multilateral, or bureaucratic arrangements established to further cooperation among states (Ref 11,, for policy solutions. [12][13][14][15][16] Research on the mandates, behavior, and effectiveness of IGOs in addressing climate security challenges has burgeoned in response. ...

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Global Environmental Change and Human Security

Cited by 39 publications

References 134 publications

Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

Criminalizing Ecological Harm: Crimes Against Carrying Capacity and the Criminalization of Eco-Sinners

Intergovernmental organizations and climate security: advancing the research agenda

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