Summary Report No. 41


Umwelt und Sicherheit: Die Rolle von Umweltschwellenwerten in der empirisch-quantitativen Modellierung

D. F. Sprinz (March 1998)

Current research on environmental security is dominated by empirical-qualitative approaches. Due to methodological shortcomings, these approaches have been unable to demonstrate if there is a general link between environmental degradation and the outbreak of violent conflict. This report shows how environmental thresholds, as part of an empirical-quantitative approach, can serve as a sufficient condition for the outbreak of violent conflict. The results of such research will assist political decision-makers to assess the challenges of environmental degradation for international security.