Contenido del sitio web

Data Sheet: Ángel Eduardo Rivera, Environmental Security in the Arctic in the Face of the Effects of Climate Change in the 21st Century; Mexico, Center for Analysis and Research on Peace, Security and Development Olof Palme / National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2016, 237. ISBN: 978-607-02-8519-6. Introduction by Maria Cristina Rosas.

The study of the polar regions in International Relations has been badly punished. It is often lost sight of the fact that Antarctica is the sixth continent located at the South Pole, while the Arctic is a frigid ocean located at the North Pole; both constitute strategic spaces, and the most concrete actions for their domination, appropriation and exploitation have been developed especially in the 20th century, and with this the interest in analyzing the problems they involve has increased at the present time. There is still much to discover around the poles, although dramatic events that have been taking place in recent years call for concrete actions in concerted terms on the part of international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, States, large corporations and individuals to generate mutually beneficial cooperation mechanisms.

In recent years, attention to the poles has been intensified due to very bad news; the increasingly intensified search for energy resources such as gas and oil have increased tensions between the main exporting and consuming countries. During the Fourth International Polar Year (2007-2008), deposits with large amounts of hydrocarbons were found in the Arctic, which, due to the effects of climate change, are reconfiguring the geopolitics of the region, since in addition to these strategic resources, their melting represents new routes for navigation and commercial activities related to fishing and tourism.

Therefore, the objective of this work is to prospect the environmental security of the Arctic by evaluating threats, risks and vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change and industrialization in the region as an opportunity for the exploitation of energy resources and commercial practices by countries and transnational companies, leaving aside, in some cases, the needs of the population.

Contents:

Introduction by Maria Cristina Rosas: Polar Regions in the 21st Century.

Chapter 1: The Environment on the International Security Agenda.

Chapter 2: The Arctic – Geography and History.

Chapter 3: Scope of Climate Change and Industrialization in the Arctic.

Chapter 4: An Environmental Safety Framework for the Arctic.

Bibliography.