One does not have to go many years back to remember a time when environmental change was mainly viewed and studied separately from the human and social dimensions. Even today, some still consider environmental changes in isolation from the wider context in which they take place. This separation presents a misleading picture of not only what drives environmental change, but also how such changes affect the larger context in which humans and other species live. Viewing environmental change from an integrated systems perspective provides much-needed insights on the drivers of change, the distribution of vulnerability, and the long-term consequences that emerge from the complex and non-linear interactions between environment and society.
Motivated by the need for a better understanding of the relationship between environmental change and human security, in 1997 a group of researchers submitted a scoping report to the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) proposing a new core research project. A Scientific Planning Committee was established, and a Science Plan was developed under the leadership of Steve Lonergan. The Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) project came into being in 1999, with its first International Project Office (IPO) located at the University of Victoria, Canada. As a core project of the IHDP, GECHS was led by a Scientific Steering Committee made up of researchers from a variety of disciplines. In 2002, when GECHS came under the scientific leadership of Mike Brklacich, the IPO moved to Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Karen O’Brien served as the Scientific Chair from 2005–2010, and during that time the IPO was situated at the University of Oslo in Norway.
The main goal for the GECHS project was to conduct research on relationships between environmental change and human security. The project recognized environmental change as an equity issue that it is linked to development pathways, and it interrogated some of the dominant generalizations about relationships between environmental change and conflict, migration and security. Through research, policy briefs, workshops, conferences, and other activities, human security has gradually become a core theme within the global environmental change arena. First and foremost, there has been considerable progress in the way that global environmental change is conceptualized. It is now widely recognized that individuals respond to multiple interacting stressors that threaten their social, environmental and human rights. The socioeconomic and political context has become more central to understandings of the causes and consequences of biophysical changes, whether in relation to vulnerability and resilience, or conflict and cooperation. This understanding is based on a large body of empirical research demonstrating how human security is affected by environmental change. Lastly, there have been important advances in linking research with policy and practitioner activities, with the aim of identifying ways of enhancing human capacities to respond to environmental change and create positive social change.
The GECHS project drew to an end in 2009/2010, culminating with the Synthesis Conference on “Human Security in an Era of Global Change” in June 2009. This conference, which took place in Oslo, Norway, brought together about 150 researchers, policy makers and practitioners from 30 countries to synthesize a decade of research on the societal consequences of and responses to global environmental change and implications for human security.
This book is an outcome of the Synthesis Conference, and most of the chapters included in this book were first presented at the conference in June 2009. There is no doubt that many of the ideas and material originally presented at the conference have matured considerably in the interim period. It has been particularly inspiring to follow the many young researchers who presented at the conference and have contributed to this book.
The message that emerged from the GECHS project has over time become increasingly clear: “It is time to stop talking about human security, and start creating it.” This means not only questioning current models of developments, but also focusing on the political, economic, social, technological, institutional, cultural and personal transformations that together can create a more sustainable and secure future.
There are some key individuals and institutions that were vital to the GECHS project over the years. We owe many thanks first to the IHDP Secretariat, and especially to Maarit Thiem, Douglas Williamson, and Falk Schmidt for their support over the years. The GECHS project also recognizes the important role of committed researchers around the world, particularly those that served on the Scientific Steering Committee. These include, in alphabetical order: Jon Barnett, Hans-Georg Bohle, Mike Brklacich, Kanchan Chopra, Chris Cocklin, Ken Conca, Nils Petter Gleditsch, Edgar Gutierrez-Espeleta, Elizabeth Hartmann, Okechukwu Ibeanu, Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Fred Langeweg, Steve Lonergan, Alexander Lopez, Richard Matthew, Lyla Mehta, Elena Nikitina, Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah, Joni Seager, Indra de Soysa, Marvin Sooros, Chou Meng Tarr and Jinxia Wang. GECHS Associates have also been an important capacity for the project, and these included: Neil Adger, Hans Guenter Brauch, Stewart Cohen, Geoff Dabelko, Saswati Dutta, Hallie Eakin, Siri Eriksen, Gunhild Hoogensen, Richard Klein, Robin Leichenko, Peter Liotta, Andrei Marin, Susanne Moser, Karen O’Brien, Mark Pelling, Julie Silva, Úrsula Oswald Spring, Asuncion Lera St. Clair and Maureen Woodrow. Finally, Executive Officers and research assistants Ann Zurbrigg, Maureen Woodrow, Lynn Rosentrater, Øystein Kristiansen and Kirsten Ulsrud played significant roles in developing the GECHS project.
There are many institutions and people that made it possible for GECHS to find a home at the University of Oslo in Norway. The Research Council of Norway funded the GECHS IPO from 2005–2010. We would especially like to thank Kirsten Broch Mathisen and Inger-Ann Ulstein for prioritizing global change research in Norway, and for inspiring collaborations over the years. We would also like to thank Norad for co-funding the IPO in the initial years, and for supporting several events over the years. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been critical to several of the larger events and initiatives, including serving as the main funder of the GECHS Synthesis Conference.
Now to those to whom we are indebted in this book project. First, we are grateful to all of the contributors to this book, a group of inspiring and committed individuals who brought their impressive capacities to this project. We would also like to thank the many reviewers who provided valuable feedback to the authors. We would also like to thank Amanda McCavour for allowing us to use her art work for the front cover of this book. It gave us energy and inspiration to bring out the need for both agency and collaboration in creating human security. We are very appreciative of the team at Routledge – Earthscan, and especially Editorial Assistant Helen Bell and Associate Editor Louisa Earls for their clear guidance and positive and quick responses. Finally, we would like to thank our families for supporting us through this very long book project. Thank you Annika, Espen, Jens Erik and Kristian, thank you Linnea and Rick, and thank you Stella, Maria, Lea and Håvard.
Linda Sygna
GECHS Executive Officer (2007–2010)
Oslo, December 2012