Transcript An Environmental Security Course at West Point

An Environmental Security Course at West Point
Marie C. Johnson
Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, USMA, West Point, NY 10996 [email protected]
Summary
www.usma.edu/Class/2007/ADay/ADayGallery.htm
foryourfreedomandmine.com/default.aspx
This course explores the link between the environment and national security. It specifically focuses on four key drivers: food, water, infectious disease and energy. If a state
cannot secure enough food and water for its citizens, effectively respond to infectious disease outbreaks and/or provide energy to drive its economy, it runs the risk of
disintegrating socially and politically, becoming a breeding ground for terrorism and violence, and threatening the stability of all other states in our globalized society.
food
water
infectious disease
At the conclusion of this course, a student will be able to:
1. Explain the concept of environmental security in his/her own words.
2. Describe the relevance of environmental security to U.S. national security.
3. Evaluate the available future energy options for the United States given
projected technical, economic, and socio-political constraints.
4. Evaluate environmental, technical, economic, and socio-political
considerations and propose a sustainable energy plan for a developing
region of the world.
www.rwcc.com.au/Links%20to%20other%20Web%20Sites.htm
www.healthspablog.org/category/health-talk/
Course outcomes
national security
www.core.org.cn/jhsph/courses/EpiInfectiousDisease/
Assessment
www.dodownload.com/image/american+flag+with+eagle.png
blog.kir.com/archives/cat_economics_energy_prices.asp
energy
www.windpowerninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/renewable-energy.jpg
Assessment is conducted via written exams, oral briefs, short written papers, and the larger term project.
i.mktw.net/newsimages/NewsCommentary/SpecialReports/TheHea
tIsOn/day2energy_bkgd2_660x852.gif
EV Sec
Strat
Course context and content
1
the Army
the environment
+
www.tork.com.au/upload/1__Global_Files_And_Com/2__Images/8__Environment/en
vironment_plant.jpg
Date
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2-Feb
4-Feb
6-Feb
10-Feb
12-Feb
17-Feb
19-Feb
23-Feb
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
25-Feb
27-Feb
3-Mar
5-Mar
9-Mar
11-Mar
13-Mar
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
The Human
Development
Index
!!! Spring Break, 16-20 March !!!
24-Mar
26-Mar
30-Mar
1-Apr
3-Apr
7-Apr
9-Apr
13-Apr
15-Apr
17-Apr
20-Apr
23-Apr
27-Apr
29-Apr
4-May
6-May
8-May
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Scenario building
Power grid
Power and the economy
Field trip to power plant
Nuclear power
Nuclear waste
Uranium mining
Drop
Scenario presentations
Scenario presentations
Guest lecture
Renewable energy
Ethanol or biodiesel
Hydrogen fuel
Fuel cells
Transportation fuels
Plan B (again)
RES pp. 260-264
SA pp. 132-140
SA pp. 168-179
MS 1 due. Meet CGR at 0730
SA pp. 106-113
SA pp. 98-105
Web reading, in-class exercise
MS 2 and presentations due
Dr. Kent Buts, Army War College
SA pp. 193-201
In-class exercise
SA pp. 121-123, 140-146
SA pp. 124-131, In-class movie
SA pp. 153-166
Final project reports due, SA pp. 211-221
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350
Worldwide
Governance
Indicators
WPR
MS 2
Scenarios
Scenario
Briefs
Term
Paper
3,4,5,7
x
3
Current
Events
1
Total Points
Percent of Total
Course Points
Score (1-5)
181
18.1
4.30
132
13.2
4.09
37
3.7
4.24
650
65
4.31
1,2,6,8
2
9
4
x
x
x
x
1000
At mid-semester, the students form teams,
choose a developing country, and ultimately
devise a strategy to further energy security in
this country given its unique mix of
environmental, technological, economic and
socio-political constraints.
Metrics of a
Country’s
Security
LS Topic
9-Jan
13-Jan
15-Jan
19-Jan
21-Jan
23-Jan
27-Jan
29-Jan
Assignment
Defining the problem
Introduction
In-class exercise
Plan B
RES pp. 1-11, web reading
National security strategy
RES pp. 12-65
Defining environmental security
RES pp. 66-74, web reading
Environmental security and the military
RES pp. 75-85, web reading
Environmental peacebuilding
RES pp. 86-106
Millennium development goals
RES pp.107-168
Global trends
Paper 1 due, RES pp. 181-194 and 260-264
Disease, water and food
Infectious diseases 1
web reading
Infectious diseases 2
RES pp. 267-308
Africom
RES pp. 309-319
Freshwater
RES pp. 320-354
Food security 1
RES pp. 355-359
Food security 2
web reading
Field Trip to the United Nations
Paper 2 due. Meet at CGR at 0730
Drop
Energy
The future of oil
SA pp. 1-9
Kyoto treaty
RES pp. 361-368, 379-388
Kyoto treaty simulation
In-class exercise
Carbon sequestration
SA pp. 44-61
Climate repair
SA pp. 20-33
WPR
Study all previous materials!
EV effects of CO2
Hand out previous class
newsblaze.com/pix/2006/0604/pix/CSMB2.jpg
x
2
This course is taken by senior environmental science majors in their last semester.
It effectively combines their two interests.
Term project
Africom
MS 1
Drivers
Performance
Based
Indicators
Subjective Rating
(cadets)
Subjective
Rating
(instructor)
Subjective
Rating
(combined)
Overall
Assessment
Color Code
1
4.30
4.13
4
4.08
4.26
Green
2
4.09
4.25
4.5
4.35
4.14
Green
3
4.24
4.50
4
4.30
4.25
Green
4
4.31
4.38
4.25
4.33
4.31
Green
Assigned reading
The
Environ
mental
Perform
ance
Index
http://epi.yale.edu/Home
1. Readings in Environmental Security assembled by the instructor, includes non-copyrighted
sources from the Department of Defense, United Nations and other relief organizations, and
the academic community.
2. Oil and the Future of Energy, the Editors of Scientific American, the Lyons Press, 2007.