National security is at risk from ecological disruptions

When the natural environment is stretched beyond its ability to meet basic human needs for food, clean air, drinkable water and shelter, it is not just a humanitarian concern for the world community.

According to research, these crises are a threat to national security for the United States and other nations. The Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community have long paid close attention to the influence of climate change on national security. Prior intelligence reports have demonstrated how climate change can create flashpoints for global conflict, alter the operations of troops and equipment, and influence which defense locations are vulnerable, despite the Trump administration’s recent intelligence reports omitting any mention of climate change. Less attention is paid to how ecological disruptions affect national security. However, they can also lead to economic strife, social and political instability, and strained international relations. Ecological disruptions occur when ecosystems that provide natural resources are compromised and can no longer meet basic human needs. Overfishing, human disease, and environmental crime are examples. Some 3.2 billion people worldwide rely on fisheries as a major source of protein. Overexploitation of ocean fisheries is a common root of international conflict.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, intermittent conflict broke out between British and Icelandic fishermen over the Icelandic cod fisheries, which had been depleted by overfishing. The Icelandic government sought to ban British trawlers from a broader area around the country’s coast, but the British continued to fish. The result was standoffs between fishing boats and Icelandic gunboats, and even the intervention of the British Royal Navy.
The “Cod Wars” temporarily severed diplomatic ties between Iceland and the United Kingdom. Iceland even threatened to close a U.S. military base in Iceland and withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The U.K. ultimately agreed to abide by a 200-mile territorial limit on fishing around Iceland. A decade later, in 2012, the British government apologized to 2,500 British fishermen and offered them each £1,000 in compensation for the loss of their jobs and livelihoods as a result of following the 200-mile limit. Learn how AI is transforming society. Get our newsletter
More recently, China’s rampant overfishing of its own coastal waters has meant expanding fishing in the South China Sea and using fishing fleets to assert new territorial claims. As a response, Indonesia detonated more than forty Chinese vessels that were accused of illegally fishing in its waters and stealing more than $4 billion in annual profits from Indonesia. The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Britain have stepped up naval patrols against illegal fishing in the waters of Pacific island nations. Conflicts have arisen with Chinese coast guard vessels that routinely escort fishing fleets entering other countries’ waters without permission.
China’s fishing fleets have also expanded their activities off the coasts of Africa and South America, depleting fish stocks and creating political instability in those regions, too. In 2024, the U.S. Joint exercises between the Coast Guard and the Argentine navy were launched to combat Chinese illegal fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Public health crises
Zoonotic diseases, which spread from animals to humans through close contact with wildlife, are the most well-known examples of ecologically related public health crises that threaten national security. Wild animal contact is the source of more than 70% of the world’s emerging infectious diseases, also known as uncommon or newly identified infectious diseases. The risks of animal-to-human disease transmission are especially high for those who handle or eat wild meat.