INTRODUCTION: THE UNSEEN THREAT: CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AS NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY CHALLENGES

Abstract

The traditional, state-centric security paradigm, which put the main emphasis on military threats and wars between states, is slowly losing its significance as global environmental challenges gain popularity. This chapter stages the different facets of the climate crisis as the leading non-traditional security threats that threaten people security, the stability of nations, and the maintenance of peace at the global level. The chapter first moves away from the classical environmental discourse in order to build an understanding that sees the issues as the greatest threat multipliers. Further, issues with the environment are intricately interwoven in the chapter, which posits that environmental degradation is leading the whole gamut of security challenges, the array of which now encompasses resource scarcity, forced migration, economic dislocation, and disease spread. In order to provide examples, the chapter looks into diverse parts of the world and also refers to nature problems in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh to demonstrate that these threats are not only hypothetical or distant but have also become the major reasons for the gradual collapse of the safety and stability of societies. The new security agenda is appealed to for redesign and this is the message the chapter ends with - only through a proactive, holistic, and cooperative approach revolving around sustainable development can a secure and stable future be created.

Keywords: Climate change, Environmental degradation, Challenges