Over the past 25 plus years, the understanding of environment and security links has evolved to reflect changing threat and opportunity scenarios. Today, "environmental security" has become a popular phrase used to encompass everything from oil exploration to pollution controls to corn subsidies.

While environmental advocates and security actors remain wary of each other's focus, means, and ends, both scholars and policymakers are working to better understand these linkages and respond to them. Today, the wide range of potential climate change impacts is re-energizing broader debates over human security that suggest redefining security beyond purely militaristic terms.

At the same time, the traditional security community's increased concern with climate change (and the social reactions it may produce) has helped garner wider attention. The number of U.S. and overseas policy responses is dizzying. In this lecture--part of the Sustainability Seminar Series at the UC-Irvine Center for Unconventional Security Affairs --the Wilson Center's Geoff Dabelko highlights key environmental security policy developments and situates today's initiatives within a context of nearly three decades of efforts.

Video courtesy OpenCourseWare at University of California, Irvine