How are National Security and Natural Resource Conservation Linked?

The consumption of natural resources and its consequences plays a key role in global security. Excessive or unmitigated consumption of natural resources such as energy, minerals, water, land, forests, fish stocks, and biodiversity leads to climate change, mass migration, urbanization, poverty, and weakened or failed states, and conflict over scarce resources. These are key trends influencing U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

Additionally, many of the world’s remaining natural areas are located in remote and poorly governed regions. Without good management, some of these areas have become refuges for the drug trade and other illegal activities as well as strongholds for terrorist groups who transit easily through poorly controlled wilderness areas.

Natural Resources and Conflict

In the 21st century, the security of nations will increasingly depend on the security of natural resources. The modern global economy and the hundreds of millions of people often acting outside that economy depend on access to energy, minerals, potable water, arable land, fish stocks and other renewable and nonrenewable resources to meet the rising expectations of a growing world population, and that access is by no means assured.

Maintaining sufficient, reliable, affordable, and sustainable supplies of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources will require the United States and other nations to both shape and respond to emerging natural resource challenges in a changing strategic environment.

Renewable natural resources have figured into U.S. foreign policy and security concerns several times in the past 20 years:

• Somalia – Recurring cycles of famine and drought weakened the political and social institutions that would have prevented a failed state in the 1990s. Continuing divisions and conflicts were partly caused by struggles to establish control over valuable natural resources.

• Haiti – Deforestation and soil loss has worsened a persistent economic crisis that continues to feed a seemingly endless cycle of violence and out migrations of people heading for U.S. shores.

• Darfur – Drought, desertification, and the scarcity of arable land have led to poverty and competition among farmers, nomads, and herders—often discrete ethnic or racial groups—and have helped to create the conditions for violent conflict.

• Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan – Diplomatic and military hostilities have broken out several times in the past 60 years over access to fresh water in the Jordan River basin. In that time, the U.S. help resolve at least five diplomatic disagreements either directly or within the UN Security Council. And Israel and its neighbors Syria and Jordan have experienced at least four military engagements in which water facilities were targets.

• Afghanistan – Years of conflict and instability have taken a disastrous toll on Afghanistan’s forests, ground cover, and water resources, impoverishing and marginalizing rural communities. Many of these communities are willing to support any political movement—state or non-state—capable of offering a modicum of stability and economic hope.