Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Conclusion
The American political scientist Chalmers Johnston called 9/11 and the
continuing War on Terror 'blowback', caused by United States' imperial foreign
and defence policies from the 1950s to the start of this century. If we do realize
a Four Degree World, with all its multiple insecurities, we will have cause to call
the results for Australia 'climate' blowback or 'carbon' blowback, caused in part
by our sooty amalgam of domestic economic, foreign, defence and trade policies.
By contrast, we need a new 'forward defence policy' that regards the frontline
for countering threats - including those generated by climate change - to human
and environmental security in Australia as existing in the near Asia Pacific
region, where mitigation and reducing climate vulnerability should be a priority
for Australian development and aid programmes. This 'forward defence policy'
must be coupled with a 'homeland climate security policy' aimed at ending our
reliance on fossil fuels for local energy, and on the export of fossil fuels as an
economic staple.
Climate change is a clearly complex security challenge that requires breaking
out of the constraining silo of defence-thinking and developing a whole-of-
government response that integrates national security strategy with other
domestic and foreign policies, and with human security in the region. Some of
the key policy responses that would flow would include:
●
rapid decarbonization of Australia's domestic economy, both in terms of its
reliance on fossil fuels for local energy, and on the export of fossil fuels as an
economic staple, and a comprehensive adaptation policy;
●
an innovative ADF that seeks to reduce its carbon bootprint and enhance
its preparedness for an increasing humanitarian assistance role in the region;
●
a regional human security strategy that focuses on reducing vulnerability
to the impacts of climate change using development and aid programs to
increase adaptive resilience in the near Asia Pacific.
Of all the direct and indirect threats and risks facing people and states, it is
climate change that most graphically demonstrates how much Australia's fate is
ultimately linked to the fate of its neighbours. In this sense, it is clear that 'no
island is an island' - not even one as big as ours.
Michael Evans attempts a similar exercise but falls into the trap of assuming that only
externally generated risks are relevant: According to Evans, 'National security entails
the pursuit of psychological and physical safety, which is largely the responsibility of
national governments, to prevent both direct and indirect threats and risks primarily
from abroad from endangering the survival of these regimes, their citizenry, or their
ways of life' (Evans, 2007: 123).
