The Environment-Security Trap

The threats we face today as Americans respect no nation’s borders. Think of them: terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, organized crime, drug trafficking, ethnic and religious hatred, aggression by rogue states, environmental degradation.” This passage from Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union address places environmental problems squarely alongside America’s most popular post–cold war enemies. The addition of environmental degradation to these market-tested demons is no accident. Despite its weak performance on environmental cooperation, the administration has undertaken a concerted effort to repackage the environment as a security issue. Although sometimes touted by environmentalists as a way to generate attention and action, the linking of environmental problems to national security and “strategic” American interests is deeply troubling. It distorts the problem, blurs underlying responsibility, legitimizes coercion, and diverts attention from wher...