Strategic Panorama 2009 - 2010 - IEEE

Climate change and its security implications
meetings, etc. Climate change projections point to a probable increase
in these actions, which will call for additional security measures and new
legal control mechanisms.
New regulations
New government and police requirements will emerge in relation to
the development of new regulations associated with the emission of greenhouse
gases and mechanisms for monitoring their enforcement. The
reality of climate change has spurred leaders of the industry and financial
services sectors to reflection. Indeed, in many parts of the world companies
are publicly calling for the enactment of climate-related laws, the drafting
of guidelines, emission ceilings and other measures, partly because
many of them perceive climate change to be an economic risk—and also
a significant market opportunity, but only within a framework of a clearly
established playing field and rules.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The report submitted by the Secretary General to the Council of the
European Union in 2008 lists examples of territories that will be seriously
affected by the consequences of climate change. In relation to Europe it
only mentions the Arctic, where ice melt will trigger disputes over the use
of the new international shipping routes and over the huge hydrocarbon
deposits.
Africa is described as one of the continents that are most vulnerable
to the effects of climate change. The north and the Sahel area may lose
75% of their cultivable land owing to drought, shortage of water and soil
degradation. The Nile delta region will also be badly affected and similar
consequences will be observed in the south of the continent and Horn of
Africa region, causing millions of Africans to be displaced towards other
regions of the continent and, above all, Europe.
Israel, Jordan and Palestine will lose as much as 60% of their water
supply. Countries like Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia will also suffer
major losses of water and agricultural production resources.
In the case of Asia the rise in sea level will affect the south coast of the
continent, where over two billion people live, in addition to the extreme
effects of monsoons. The melting of the Himalayan glaciers will affect a
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