dence. No surer route to armed conflict exists than
by an assault on sovereignty through an invasion of
territory; such would be an unlawful act of aggression
Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter proscribes.
In sum, the modern (i.e., post-Westphalian) state
system is composed of political, juridical entities pos-
sessing inherent right to exclude others. Centuries of
state practice reveal that territorial integrity and bor-
der inviolability are jealously and sometimes dearly
guarded prerogatives. From the Great Wall of China
to the Berlin Wall and the U.S.-Mexico border, states
have fortified themselves against outsiders who, or
whose influence, they wish to exclude. Legalistic
methods are also used, ranging from oppressive pro-
hibitions of dictatorial regimes such as North Korea to
more benign but sometimes discriminatory immigra-
tion laws and treaties of Western democracies.
Globalization and transnational security threats,
among which climate change is counted, are trends
with growing significance for national security and
human security. But while these trends are undeni-
able and likely unstoppable, states remain at the heart
of the international system. They, along with intergov-
ernmental organizations such as the United Nations
and myriad other treaty bodies, are the core constructs
upon which international law is built, implemented,
and enforced. It seems inconceivable that anytime
soon that states will become irrelevant or abandon ter-
ritorial integrity as a modus vivendi.
Inviolable state borders may hinder peaceful
adaptation to climate change. Climate change has
already put people in motion in modest numbers,
voluntarily and involuntarily, temporarily and per-
manently. Looking ahead, in 2014, to what a Fifth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
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