Security is a big, scary word that one does not instantly
associate with the environment. Security is the government raising an army to
defend borders or your municipality having a police force to patrol the
streets. But the more you look into it, the more nature can play these roles.
Topography can defend a nation’s borders for instance. In India, the geographic
features play a large role in its national defense. India’s Southwestern and
Southeastern borders fall in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
respectively, providing a secure water border. Its Northeastern border is
fenced in by the Himalayas. Where India lacks geographic peace of mind is on
its border with Pakistan on the Indo-Gongetic Plain. This provides a direct
avenue into India and is a potential source of invasion, or the movement of
extremist activity into places such as the capitol of New Delhi.
Conflict is only one aspect to environmental
security according to Thomas Homer-Dixon and his work “Environment, scarcity,
and Violence.” The other major component is scarcity of natural resources.
India lives an interesting dynamic of resource scarcity. Its biggest
environmental challenge is its yearly monsoon. During the Rainy season, water
is abundant, if not too abundant, creating flooding and death. During the dry
season, water is scarce and people do not have enough to grow crops. Finding
that middle way is India’s goal so that crops and populations do not have to
flow with the weather, but can be sustainable by being secure.
Thomas Homer Dixon, Environment, Scarcity, and Violence
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