Towards a Fourth Pillar of Human Security: „Freedom from Hazard ...

8.1. Towards a Fourth Phase of
Environmental Security Research
Future research should combine: structural factors of GEC
with extreme outcomes and conflict constellations.
A fourth phase of social science research may aim at the
following ten conceptual and policy goals:
–Scientific Orientation and Approach
• Grotian perspective, political geo-ecology, human security focus,
• Coping with Security Dilemma (states) and Survival Dilemma (human beings)
• Dual goal: Sustainable development & sustainable peace
–Scientific Focus on Causes, Impacts & Extreme Outcomes of Global
Environmental Change
• Causes, outcomes., policy process, regional perspective
–Policy Goals:
• Policy Goals on Societal / Individual Level: ESS studies should foster strategies
–reducing the impact of environmental stress,
–decreasing the vulnerability & strengthening coping capacities & resilience.
• Policy Goals on Communal, Sub-national, National and International Level: Strategies
for coping with outcomes of environmental stress should be developed by
– improving disaster preparedness and response and by
–integrating disaster reduction into development planning.
– Resolution, prevention & avoidance of violence should become a major policy goal.