Environmental Issues and Terrorism: A Call for Sustainable Development

Introduction
In recent years, we have become concerned about the threat of terrorism in new and dangerous forms. Yet our military establishments and institutions have been slow to refocus on environmental, ethnic, religious, and economic tensions that may now motivate terrorist actions. Even the very nature of terrorism itself is changing. Most recent discussions of terrorism have focused on the identity of the terrorists, their possible motivations, and the increasingly destructive potential of the weapons at their disposal. An examination of terrorism and the issues caused to the environment requires understanding motivations, identifying vulnerabilities and risks, and working on effective solutions. At a time when populations all over the world are increasing, the existing resource base (water, energy, soils, and more) is being stretched to provide for more people, and is being consumed at a faster rate. As the value

Terrorism and Environmental Issues

Terrorism, as defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The destruction inherent in any act of mass terrorism inevitably causes secondary environmental pollution effects, many of them serious. Acts of terrorism can also be directed against the environment itself, or specific natural resources such as freshwater, oil, or agricultural products. The secondary environmental effects of terrorism can often be as significant as its primary effects. The attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City on September 11, 2001, had negative health consequences beyond the staggering loss of life. The collapse of the structures and subsequent fires spewed an enormous cloud of dust and toxins into

Causes and Facilitators of Terrorism

OA
I = Individual Characteristics

O = Organizational Characteristics PC = Precipitant Conditions

O PC ET

ET = Environmental Triggers OA = Opportunities to Act GE = Global Environment

GE

Terrorism as Process
The phenomenon of terrorism can be seen as comprising human elements(supporters and hard core terrorists) and ideological elements. To the degree that terrorism is viewed as a process, the phenomenon is similar to a pipeline or factory assembly line with key stations along the way. The process includes ideological outreach, acquisition of funding and support, recruitment, organization, indoctrination, training, planning, targeting, attack, exploitation of results, financial rewards and other factors which lead to production of terrorist acts. Any such proposed anti-terrorism model would be adapted for specific terrorist groups, since such groups may operate differently.

Perspectives of Terrorism
There are three perspectives of terrorism: the terrorists, the victims, and the general publics. The phrase one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter is a view terrorists themselves would accept. Terrorists do not see themselves as evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for what they believe in, by whatever means possible. A victim of a terrorist act sees the terrorist as a criminal with no regard for human life. The general publics view is the most unstable. The terrorists take great pains to foster a Robin Hood image in hope of swaying the general publics point of view toward their cause. This sympathetic view of terrorism has become an integral part of their psychological warfare and needs to be countered vigorously. So are these three perspectives implied while considering the environmental issues caused due to the acts of terrorism.

Impact of Terrorism on Environment

Terrorism is inherently destructive of sustainable development. States shall therefore respect international law providing protection for the environment in times of armed conflict and cooperate in its further development, as necessary.

1 9 9 2

Impact of Terrorism on Environment

The many environmental impacts of hostility include the infrastructure necessary for the preparation for war, including training grounds, camps, barracks, weapons testing etc. However, the immediate impacts of war, and of terrorism, are usually sudden and dramatic, and can be either v Direct v Indirect.

Direct Impacts
The immediate and direct impacts of war and terrorism are obvious. The effects on landscapes can be as devastating as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions as buildings collapse and craters develop. For example, many European cities were substantially altered by bombing raids during World War II. Direct impacts include bomb and blast damage to settlements, rural areas and communication networks. Defoliation and ecosystem destruction, the dumping of the machinery of war and the destruction of resources such as oil fields also occur.

Indirect Impacts
Indirect impacts are many and varied and are often longer-lasting than the direct impacts. They include the construction of various camps such as refugee camps, and the distortion of population composition as young males join the conflict; in countries where agriculture is a major activity this may result in land abandonment and degradation may ensue. Other indirect impacts include loss of wildlife as animals are hunted for bush meat. Particularly long-lasting effects include the use of land for war graves, war memorials and museums. Along with battlefields themselves these reminders of conflicts have, in many nations, become the focus of the tourist industry and thus a source of wealth generation.

Environmental Terrorism
Environmental terrorism is the unlawful destruction of resources in order to deprive others of its use. The term also refers to the unnecessary destruction of the environment for personal gain. Environmental destruction or the threat thereof can be labeled `terrorism' when:
(1) the act or threat breaches national and/or international laws governing the disruption of the environment during peacetime or wartime; and (2) the act or threat exhibits the fundamental characteristics of terrorism (i.e. the act or threat of violence has specific objectives, and the violence is aimed at a symbolic target).

An act of environmental destruction can be termed `environmental terrorism' only when the two latter criteria are met, and when the environment is used by the perpetrator as an authentic symbol that instills fear in the larger population over the ecological consequences of the act.

 The September 11 attacks:

Some of the prevalent issues on environment due to Terrorism

The attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City on September 11, 2001, had negative health consequences beyond the staggering loss of life. The collapse of the structures and subsequent fires spewed an enormous cloud of dust and toxins into the air over the city. While initial concern was for victims, their families, and for rescue workers, it did not take long before environmental health concerns arose in New York City. Another early concern was about where runoff generated by water from fire hoses was going. Since Manhattenis an island, it seemed logical that waterborne

 India a favorite dumping ground for e-waste

India is becoming the developed nations' favourite dumping ground as they dump over 50,000 tonnes of e-waste, including old PC's, mobiles and television sets. The desert state too gets its share, with close to 40,000 discarded PC's making their way to the scrap market. The recent incident of radiation in West Delhis Mayapuri Industrial area may have raised alarm bells on the danger posed by the unplanned dumping of ewaste. But the import of such hazardous material continues unabated in the country. The figures obtained from one major port alone, from April 2009 to December 2009,

 A New Cold War of Terror to the Environment: Genetically Modified Foods

GM cotton permit blasted as `terrorism'. (India). Its a Piracy, Hijack and Theft -Dr. Vandana Siva Various developed countries and major industrial organizations are entering the food market of India with the GM crops which in turn adversely affects the environment and health aspects which is now a severe cause of concern while analysing the

New dimensions of Terrorism attacking Environment

Ecoterrorism
Ecoterrorism is a recently coined term describing violence in the interests of environmentalism. In general, environmental extremists sabotage property to inflict economic damage on industries or actors they see as harming animals or the natural enviroment. Thes have included fur companies, logging companies and animal research laboratories, for example.

Continued..
Nuclear terrorism
"Nuclear terrorism" refers to a number of different ways nuclear materials might be exploited as a terrorist tactic. These include attacking nuclear facilities, purchasing nuclear weapons, or building nuclear weapons or otherwise finding ways to disperse radioactive materials. This contributes to the devastating environmental destruction of a

Continued
Narcoterrorism
Narcoterrorism has had several meanings since its coining in 1983. It once denoted violence used by drug traffickers to influence governments or prevent government efforts to stop the drug trade. In the last several years, narcoterrorism has been used to indicate situations in which terrorist groups use drug trafficking to fund their other operations

Continued
Bioterrorism
Bioterrorism refers to the intentional release of toxic biological agents to harm and terrorize civilians, in the name of a political or other cause.The U.S. Center for Disease Control has classified the viruses, bacteria and toxins that could be used in an attack. Category A Biological Diseases are those most likely to do the most damage. They include:
Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin) The Plague (Yersinia pestis) Smallpox (Variola major) Tularemia (Francisella tularensis) Hemorrahagic fever, due to Ebola Virus or Marburg Virus

The Real Call for Sustainable Development

Terrorism experts have opined that in the last decade, the nature of terrorism has changed from professional, politicallymotivated acts to amateur acts motivated by any number of grievances: religious, social, political, or personal. There are well known ambiguities in defining terrorism and specifically environmental terrorism. Yet there are also real risks facing governments and the public and that an effort must be made to better understand these risks and appropriate responses. An examination of environmental terrorism adds a new dimension to these definitions, identifying the target as a natural resource or environmental feature. At a time when populations all over the world are increasing, the existing resource base is being stretched to provide for more people, and is being consumed at a faster rate. As the value and vulnerability of these resources increases, so does their attractiveness as terrorist targets. The destruction of a natural resource can now cause more deaths, property damage, political chaos, and other adverse effects than it would have in any previous decade. It must be recognized that, over time, unsustainable development is in no one's best interest. Fighting a successful war on terrorism ultimately means we must first win the battle against unsustainable development and thus protect the environment from the degradation caused due to the problems of the same.

Defining Sustainability
Sustainable Development is often an over-used word, but goes to the heart of tackling a number of inter-related global issues such as poverty, inequality, hunger and environmental degradation. Sustainable Development stands for meeting the needs of present generations without jeopardizing the ability of futures generations to meet their own needs in other words, a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It offers a vision of progress that integrates immediate and longer-term objectives, local and global action, and regards social, economic and environmental issues as inseparable and interdependent components of human progress.

 "Sustainable development" is an innovative and powerful concept with considerable unifying power for international development. Sustainable development grew out of the profound, and as yet unresolved, crisis concerning existing development paradigms. The crisis is particularly acute concerning the failure of existing models of development to offer effective and lasting solutions to recurrent--and worsening--problems of world poverty, environmental degradation, and the inability of most developing countries to achieve parity

Levels of Sustainable Development Practice Individual and Group Empower - ment

Strategies of Sustainable Development through Social Work Practice

Conflict Resolution

Major Purposes , Outcomes , or Processes Associated With Levels of Sustainable Development Practice Through "conscientization," the process whereby individuals learn how to perceive and act upon the contradictions that exist in the social, political, and economic structures intrinsic to all societies Efforts directed at reducing: (1) grievances between persons or groups; or, (2) asymmetric power relationships between members of more powerful and less powerful groups Through increased participation and "social animation" of the populace, the process through which community's realize the fullness of their social, political, and economic potential; the process through which communities respond more equitably to the social and material needs of their" populations Refers both to the process of "humanizing existing social institutions and that of establishing new institutions that respond more effectively to new or emerging social needs The process of working toward the integration of a nation's social, economic, and cultural institutions at all levels of political organization The process of working toward the integration of a region's social, economic, cultural institutions at all levels of political organization The process of working toward the establishment of a new system of international social, political, economic, and ecological relationships guided by the quest for world peace, increased social justice, the universal satisfaction of basic human needs, and for the protection of the planet's fragile eco-system

Community - Building

Institution - Building

Nation - Building Region - Building World - Building

Conclusion

Terrorism have left an extensive legacy on landscapes throughout the world. The environmental repercussions of war and terrorism are varied, including bomb damage, altered urban and rural environments, depleted forests and wildlife, cemeteries, museums and memorials. Despite their poignancy, the destruction of conflict continues today as wars rage in dozens of countries and as the world attempts to combat the ever-growing threat of terrorism. The geography of war and terrorism is extensive and emotive; few environments in certain nations are immune to its varied and substantial impact, yet there is no reference work which provides a comprehensive account of this important and provocative subject.

References
A New Vigilance: Identifying and Reducing the Risks of Environmental Terrorism
Elizabeth L. Chalecki

Combating Terrorism: The Challenge of Measuring Effectiveness

Raphael Perl, Specialist in International Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division

Environment and Terrorism:A Message

Peter H. Gleick, President , Pacific Institute

Transnational Social Work Practice

By Nalini Junko Negi, Rich Furman

TOWARD SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: From Theory to Praxis

Richard J. Estes -University of Pennsylvania (School of Social Work)