Can Melting Ice Caps Inspire Sabotage?
At a recent London conference entitled “Climate Change: The Global Security Impact,” experts warned global warming could exacerbate refugee issues as more of the world’s poor found themselves escaping inhospitable climates. According to Sir Crispin Tickell, Britain’s former ambassador to the United Nations, these displaced people are vulnerable to terrorism either as victims or as potential recruits.
“Those who are short of food, those who are short of water, those who can’t move to countries where it looks as if everything is marvelous are going to be people who are going to adopt desperate measures to try and make their point,” said Tickell.
Skeptics will surely point out that there is much to be gained by combining these two issues, including increased government funding and political advancement. It certainly seems exploitive and opportunistic to double up on the average citizen’s fear in order to garner support for environmental issues or military spending. Nevertheless, it would be short-sighted to let the motives obscure the larger picture: Humans depend on the earth’s natural resources for survival, and any threat to those resources puts us all in danger.
Mother Nature and manmade sabotage pose equal threats to our infrastructure. Hurricane Katrina graphically illustrated what can happen when forces of nature conspire to disrupt utility operations. When the weather is not up to its old tricks, saboteurs linger and wait to capitalize on any weakness. In March 2006, two teenagers breached the security system of a Massachusetts water utility and deposited a 5-gallon container of foul-smelling liquid atop a water storage tank. Although the city’s water supply was never compromised, the incident served to highlight the vulnerability of water utilities all across the country.
The concept of “water efficiency” stands upon two pillars: conserving our water resources and protecting our water supply. The web between these two pillars is complex and interdependent, and within such a finely woven tapestry scarcity can beget aggression between already tense groups. Water can spark violent feuds and political turmoil. In fact, the word “rivals” comes from the Latin rivalis, “one taking from the same stream as another.” We all know a finite amount of water exists on the planet. The use or waste of this water by one entity can directly create a lack and a crisis for somebody else.
Within this context, protecting your water delivery system becomes one of the most vital aspects of water efficiency. Securing a community’s water share involves conserving and securing the source. To make sure your system is safe, you must employ a variety of tactics. Diversify your power sources so if the electricity does go out, the solar panels can pick up the slack while your generators stand by, ready for action. Conduct a vulnerability assessment (with a qualified security expert), and use the data you discover to inform your security management plan. Finally, install some site-specific protections like cameras, fencing, and controlled access systems. Additional security-related information can be found at the United States Environmental Protection Agency Water Security Web site: http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/index.cfm.
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Media coverage indicates some pundits, and politicos still feel there’s room for debate on the issue of global warming. I am not much concerned whether or not you believe human actions are impacting the world’s climate. I’d rather the lesson behind the rhetoric not be lost. Whether we like it or not, we are in a codependent relationship with the earth, and without water we will not survive. Can desertification and massive crop failure incite terrorism? Possibly. Will a terrorist group eventually launch a catastrophic attack on an adversary’s infrastructure? It’s only a matter of time.
In the end, whether it is Mother Nature or a pipe bomb, at some point there will be an attack on your infrastructure. Planning for it now will help you prevail during the onslaught and put you in a stronger position over the long haul. Ultimately, the ethos of efficiency is “be prepared.” Cut waste, plan your actions, and guard your resources, and you’ll be able to weather any adversarial event that lands on your doorstep.
Author's Bio: Elizabeth Cutright is the Editor of Water Efficiency magazine.
March-April 2007
Can Melting Ice Caps Inspire Sabotage?
At a recent London conference entitled “Climate Change: The Global Security Impact,” experts warned global warming could exacerbate refugee issues as more of the world’s poor found themselves escaping inhospitable climates. According to Sir Crispin Tickell, Britain’s former ambassador to the United Nations, these displaced people are vulnerable to terrorism either as victims or as potential recruits.
“Those who are short of food, those who are short of water, those who can’t move to countries where it looks as if everything is marvelous are going to be people who are going to adopt desperate measures to try and make their point,” said Tickell.
Skeptics will surely point out that there is much to be gained by combining these two issues, including increased government funding and political advancement. It certainly seems exploitive and opportunistic to double up on the average citizen’s fear in order to garner support for environmental issues or military spending. Nevertheless, it would be short-sighted to let the motives obscure the larger picture: Humans depend on the earth’s natural resources for survival, and any threat to those resources puts us all in danger.
Mother Nature and manmade sabotage pose equal threats to our infrastructure. Hurricane Katrina graphically illustrated what can happen when forces of nature conspire to disrupt utility operations. When the weather is not up to its old tricks, saboteurs linger and wait to capitalize on any weakness. In March 2006, two teenagers breached the security system of a Massachusetts water utility and deposited a 5-gallon container of foul-smelling liquid atop a water storage tank. Although the city’s water supply was never compromised, the incident served to highlight the vulnerability of water utilities all across the country.
The concept of “water efficiency” stands upon two pillars: conserving our water resources and protecting our water supply. The web between these two pillars is complex and interdependent, and within such a finely woven tapestry scarcity can beget aggression between already tense groups. Water can spark violent feuds and political turmoil. In fact, the word “rivals” comes from the Latin rivalis, “one taking from the same stream as another.” We all know a finite amount of water exists on the planet. The use or waste of this water by one entity can directly create a lack and a crisis for somebody else.
Within this context, protecting your water delivery system becomes one of the most vital aspects of water efficiency. Securing a community’s water share involves conserving and securing the source. To make sure your system is safe, you must employ a variety of tactics. Diversify your power sources so if the electricity does go out, the solar panels can pick up the slack while your generators stand by, ready for action. Conduct a vulnerability assessment (with a qualified security expert), and use the data you discover to inform your security management plan. Finally, install some site-specific protections like cameras, fencing, and controlled access systems. Additional security-related information can be found at the United States Environmental Protection Agency Water Security Web site: http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/index.cfm.
Media coverage indicates some pundits, and politicos still feel there’s room for debate on the issue of global warming. I am not much concerned whether or not you believe human actions are impacting the world’s climate. I’d rather the lesson behind the rhetoric not be lost. Whether we like it or not, we are in a codependent relationship with the earth, and without water we will not survive. Can desertification and massive crop failure incite terrorism? Possibly. Will a terrorist group eventually launch a catastrophic attack on an adversary’s infrastructure? It’s only a matter of time.
In the end, whether it is Mother Nature or a pipe bomb, at some point there will be an attack on your infrastructure. Planning for it now will help you prevail during the onslaught and put you in a stronger position over the long haul. Ultimately, the ethos of efficiency is “be prepared.” Cut waste, plan your actions, and guard your resources, and you’ll be able to weather any adversarial event that lands on your doorstep.