Revisiting Environmental Security in the Philippines

Abstract

Recent developments in the Philippines, a country that has been identified as a potential flash point for conflict resulting from environmental degradation, make it timely to revisit the concept of environmental security and explore its relevance and implications for security and policy making. In the face of continued environmental mismanagement and abuse, economic growth in the Philippines is taking hold and its democratic institutions are flourishing. It is reasonable to say that the chance of acute conflict in the Philippines is greatly diminished. This notwithstanding, it would be wrong to conclude that the proposed relationship between environmental degradation and the eruption of violence and instability is flawed. Indeed, the Philippines presents an interesting case that validates this linkage, providing an opportunity to further tune our understanding of the connections between economics, politics, and the environment.