A new northern security - Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic - page 40

focuses upon the role of the environment and includes elements such as access
to natural and renewable resources, quality of renewable resources and human
population growth (see Dwivedi et al. 2001:263). Thus, not only can environ-
mental degradation be caused by resource scarcity, but also by environmental
insecurity. Sustainable development as a part of environmental and compre-
hensive security relies upon mechanisms that draw upon, among other factors,
international cooperation, global governance, regionalization, democracy and
cultures, and civil society.
Comprehensive security also refers to human security, or civil security,
with a focus on human beings as individuals and citizens; Griffiths (1993)
has called this civility . This kind of security, or safety, is derived from the
point of view of a human being as an individual or citizen within a society,
or in the global community. These concepts have been used to emphasize
the daily security of people at an individual level with a focus on human
beings, and provide an alternative perspective to 'traditional security'.
Human security is understood as 'freedom from fear, freedom from want', and
is meant to widen the approach to security to include the following catego-
ries of security: 'economic, health, food, personal, political, community and
environmental'; all this is frequently argued to have relevance to the Arctic
setting (Hoogensen 2005a; Hoogensen et al. 2009; see also United Nations
General Assembly 2005). The concept of human security is much influenced
and defined by the work of the United Nations in general, and particularly
for human development in the 1990s, like for example 'the threefold theme
“Democracy - Development - Human Rights”' (Commission on Human
Rights 1993:11) . 1 I n the Arctic context, a comprehensive security framework
includes human security as well as the so-called human ecological security
in such a way as it is connected to environmental security - it is holistic and
interprets environmental degradation (e.g. pollution, global warming) as a
threat or a risk to people and their societies (see Langlais 1995:270-7).
Implementation of comprehensive security requires a consideration of prac-
tical issues pertaining to an individual's life, such as ensuring shelter, good
health and social and economic well-being, as well as a life in peace without
conflict, war and violence. In addition, however, comprehensive security also
includes more immaterial values like political freedom, democracy, human
rights and freedom from a range of threats and risks, such as disasters, pol-
lution and other environmental problems, hunger and starvation, diseases or
other illness, and terrorism. It can also be interpreted to include cultural sur-
vival, freedom of expression and security of communication (see Poverty and
Environmental Times 2004:6).
Broad concepts of security are not just theoretical or academic, but are
widely accepted in both national and international contexts and used by many
political actors, even governments. For example, the concept of human secu-
rity has been used in politics worldwide, e.g. the earlier political agenda of the
Canadian government (Dwivedi et al . 2001) and the strategies of the European