Understanding and Managing Eco-Conflicts and Environmental Insecurity
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Date
2006
Authors
Waswa, F.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
School of Environmental Studies and Human Sciences,
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The word conflict is commonly used in everyday speech to label various
human experiences, ranging from indecision, disagreement and stress. A
conflict situation thus contains the following four elements; a condition of
interdependence between the concerned stakeholders, feeling of anger, a situation
where one party views the other as being at fault and actions that cause "business"
problems. A Conflict can also be defined as the competition between
interdependent parties, who perceive themselves as having incompatible needs,
goals, desires or ideas (Robbins and Colter, 1996). It is a situation in which people
cannot agree or create harmony with one another.
There are different kinds of conflicts: social, economic, industrial, political, and
occur at different levels (community, regional, country, continental and
international). Understanding their nature (structure) is important in designing
appropriate resolutions for them. The focus of this chapter is ecological conflicts
also referred to as resource use or eco-conflicts. Ecological conflicts stem from.the
need to access, control, own, use and benefit from natural resources (Nature's
"free" goods and services), such as land, water, climate, minerals, fauna and
flora. In an-ideal situation, all people should have equal access to them. In practice,
prevailing economic and political systems have not allowed this to happen. Instead,
these resources have been reduced to commodities for generating profits in total
disregard of social justice and equity. The result of this scenario particularly in
capitalist nations is extremes of those who have and those who have not, and
hence conflicts with subsequent negative impacts to the total environment and
human well-being. Some common effects of conflicts and security concerns include
among others:
• Loss of human life in the event of clashes or war
• Loss of livelihood when economic and social systems are disrupted
• Political instability
• Proliferation of refuges and internally displaced persons
• Destruction of infrastructure and hence loss of economic opportunities
• Increased human trauma and consequent disorders
Description
Book Chapter