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The blog of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program
  • Eye On

    NATO Says Don’t Fight the Planet

    December 15, 2009 By Geoffrey D. Dabelko
    Climate and security are under discussion today in Copenhagen at the Danish government’s side event, which brings together heavyweights such as NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, African Union Chair Jean Ping, and Danish Foreign Minister Peter Stig Møller.

    Fogh Rasmussen, the former prime minister of Denmark, delivered his remarks the new-fashioned way: today’s Huffington Post. He says NATO is ready to “do its part” by lowering its own carbon bootprint and responding to the increasing humanitarian challenges of a warmer world. He suggests the threat of climate change does not allow powerful institutions like NATO the luxury of sitting on the sidelines.

    The post even includes this embedded “Climate Change and NATO” video with an unfortunate screen grab that reads “Fighting the Planet.” Not exactly a reassuring message for those who argue that framing climate change as a security issue will militarize the environment rather than green security (to paraphrase an excellent 1994 edited volume by Finn Jyrki Kakonen).

    The video’s actual message is that some security threats can be fought and others shouldn’t be. Climate change will present a security threat, but “Fight the planet and we all lose,” says NATO. Even when the video makes all the right points, those pesky screen grabs can undermine your case!
    Topics: climate change, conflict, COP-15, disaster relief, environmental security, Eye On, military
    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/08186033047213683502 Michael Renner

      I don't know about you, Geoff, but I don't particularly care for the video's message. The "Some must be fought" message along with what I assume are images from Afghanistan is rather problematic. It suggests that Afghanistan's problems can be resolved by military means (only) — a notion that is highly debatable. As a result, I would rather disagree with the video's proposed dichotomy. The challenge is demilitarization vis-a-vis all the issues before us.

    • Anonymous

      Michael, you should have a read of the thoughts behind it before you condemn it.

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anders-fogh-rasmussen/nato-and-climate-change_b_392409.html

    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/08186033047213683502 Michael Renner

      To Anonymous: There are lots of good thoughts in Rasmussen's article in the Huffington Post. But it doesn't speak to the observation I made in my comment (and, I fully realize, the article was not intended to address it). My comment addressed the material presented in the video.

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