The environment: A security threat? An analysis of the securitization in the annual report by the secretary-general of the United Nations

Abstract

Environmental degradation has become one of the most pressing issues. Some might argue that it is the biggest contemporary security concern, in contrast to the traditional threat, war. One major actor that has described the environment as a security issue is the United Nations. The aim of this thesis is to explore if, and then how, the environment is understood as a security concern within the organization. For this, the conceptual framework of the theory of securitization is used. Previous research shows that the environment has been securitized in parts of the organization, such as the security council and some climate meetings. What is less explored is how the environment is securitized in other parts of the organization and how this is translated into everyday work of the organization. The Secretary-General releases annual reports on the organization’s work. The thesis fills this gap by conducting a text analysis of a selection of reports from the past 30 years. The research question is: How has environmental issues been securitized in the secretary-general's annual report of the United Nations? Has it changed over the past 30 years? The results found shows attempts of securitization. However the environment is often put secondary in relation to other securitized issues and not presented as issues by themselves. But rather the humanitarian and economic consequences are presented as the problem. This begs the question, if the environment has just been a tool in securitizing other issues.