Sustainability and National Security

Survival requires that societies adopt policies that
support their ability to grow and change over time
in the pursuit of key interests. While basic principles
of sustainability are obvious, within modern societ-
ies planning for the future is a complex matter, and
principles of sustainability must be discovered and
incorporated into societal norms. Despite significant
progress in our knowledge of sustainable practices, for
numerous reasons it remains difficult to implement.
Conservation, or reduced consumption in the
name of future need or future generations, is naturally
at odds with other motivations, for both individuals
and societies. Sustainability principles are often un-
dermined by self-interested motives or political expe-
diency, and are easily clouded with other factors, par-
ticularly appeals to protection of national interest and
security requirements. Though it is in the interest of
all societies to pursue policies aligned with long-term
needs, individuals do not easily focus on intergen-
erational issues in making decisions. Severe ecologi-
cal damage typically does not occur quickly, so it is
difficult to demonstrate to enough people the critical
importance of ecosystem health and conservation. We
have not solved the problem of the commons locally,
nationally, or globally.
The depletion and contamination of resources has
broad ripple effects. Shortages can lead not just to
economic pressures and competition but to conflicts.
Depletion and contamination of resources have cas-
cading effects, as when deforestation leads to changes
in weather patterns, or when denuded lands lead to
flooding and mudslides during hard rains. In severe
situations the loss of homes and farmlands leads to
migration of peoples, which puts significant stress and
tensions on neighbors, and can trigger regional insta-