Environmental issues as potential triggers of conflicts challenge the traditional definition of security focused on military threats and more generally the global system in charge of the management of international security. Indeed, born after the 2nd World War, the United Nations has been structured according to the idea of work divisions along topics; each program being responsible for one single issue. Yet, environmental security constitutes an example of a crosscutting topic that the organization intends to deal with despite its original disposition.
Through data collected as a participant observer within UNEP and DPKO, this communication argues that we observe a connection between the fields of international security and of environmental politics through the processes of securitization of the environment and of environmentalization of the security. Based on this case study, this paper also seeks to contribute to a broader reflection on the challenges of crosscutting issues in a globalized world.
