Environmental Security

As the 1990s drew to a close, there was a sense that much of the momentum gained at the first Earth Summit on sustainable development, a positive, affirming environmental narrative, was waning.

According to a 2012 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report, Brazil is expected to provide up to 40 percent of the additional global demand for food as the planet’s population increases from the current 7.4 billion to projected 9.7 billion by 2050. Is Brazil, already the world’s second largest food exporter, prepared for the challenge?  In search of answers, a group of influential Brazilian food producers, policy makers, and experts from academia, government, and private sector research centers convened a forum and went to work.

Land degradation is a major concern globally.  It has led to substantial losses in natural capital, impoverishment of soils, reduction in agricultural yields, job losses in rural areas and considerable greenhouse gas emissions.

Whether or not we respond to climate change – and the security implications of that decision – is a major public policy question. But increasingly experts are paying closer attention to how we respond.

With so much focus on global environmental problems, many may wonder how their region is faring more specifically. This is the sentiment behind the United Nations Environment Program’s process for the latest iteration of its flagship assessment, the Global Environmental Outlook 6 (GEO-6). 

Struggling to save their failing crops. Walking farther afield to fetch clean water. Protecting their families from devastating storms and violent conflicts. “Women are usually the support systems for our family…we are the last to leave in the event of a catastrophe, which is why women and families are disproportionately hurt by climate catastrophes,” said Wilson Center President, Director, and CEO Jane Harman on June 23 during a conference on women and climate change.