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59 Tenn. L. Rev. 787 (1991-1992)
Environmental Security in the United Nations: Not a Matter for the Security Council

handle is hein.journals/tenn59 and id is 803 raw text is: Environmental Security in the United Nations: Not a Matter for the Security Council CATHERINE TINKER* At an historic summit on January 31, 1992, the heads of state and government of the fifteen members of the United Nations Security Council concluded in their final declaration that: The absence of war and military conflicts amongst States does not in itself ensure international peace and security. The non-military sources of instability in the economic, social, humanitarian and ecological fields have become threats to peace and security. The United Nations membership as a whole needs to give the highest priority to the solution of these matters.' This quite remarkable and far-reaching agenda from the leaders of the Security Council does not necessarily require Security Council action on each of the non-military sources of instability if other organs of the United Nations, such as the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can better address them. But the agenda raises the distinct possibility of a reinterpretation of the Security Council's mandate beyond the scope of traditional military definitions of international peace and security. At the time of the Security Council summit meeting, some North American non-governmental organizations urged that the United Nations Security Council place environmental matters on its agenda.2 * Visiting Associate Professor of Law, The State University of New York at Buffalo. LL.M. 1989, New York University; J.D. 1978, George Washington University; M.A. 1973, Occidental College; B.A. 1971, St. Olaf College. The author thanks Dr. Paul Szasz for his helpful comments on an earlier draft of this Article. 1. Note by the President of the Security Council, U.N. SCOR, 3046th mtg. at 3, U.N. Doc. S/23500, (1992) (emphasis added). This paragraph was the subject of a discussion convened by the author on May 11, 1992, at the U.N.A.-U.S.A. in New York City with United Nations Secretariat officials, academics, permanent representatives of member states to the United Nations, and representatives of United Nations specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations. The dis- cussion was chaired by Professor Ruth Wedgewood of the Yale Law School. 2. The National Audubon Society, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) held a press conference in New York on January 29, 1992, to urge the Security Council summit meeting to put the environment at the top of its agenda. In its press release the NRDC claimed that the concept of 'international security' has changed literally overnight-from dominance by East-West Superpower relations to a far broader notion that should include 'planetary security from potentially irreversible environmental deterioration. (copy on file with author).

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