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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Desertification and Water Scarcity as a Security Challenge in the Mediterranean

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There is a new perception of a global dimension: environmental security. The protection of our fixed and shared environment is gradually coming to people’s attention as an obligatory requirement for equitable development, in order to prevent disasters related to environmental security and to avoid conflicts. The Euro-Mediterranean Region is also immersed in this general trend partly as a consequence of more frequent severe environmental events, such as forest fires, floods and landslides, droughts, torrential rains, heat waves and water scarcity. The Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean undergo even more harsh environmental impacts affecting the stability of the land, its capacity to produce food and the lack of water resources. These environmental conditions are the origin of recurrent famines, social marginalization, conflicts and forced population displacement. However the perspective today is more regional than global. We are in a historical moment by changing the perception of security in parallel with the global consciousness. The traditional security dimension (military, societal, economic, political . . . ) has evolved in an intricate and complex process including aspects of human security and environmental security. The latest dimension is an emerging issue that is gaining importance and consideration due to their implications for the well being of people and for its latent potential as a source of conflict. Besides that, it has distinctive implications: