The Role of Environmental Safety in Integration Processes of the Greater Eurasia

Abstract

The article focuses on the prominent role of environmental security in international integration taking place in the Greater Eurasia area. The authors discuss and clarify the concepts of Greater Eurasia and ecological safety. The paper explains the thesis that environmental aspects of security should be given much greater attention, since environmental problems can lead to severe conflicts of national interests, or they can become the most important means of achieving interstate environmental agreements and creating ecological programs and projects, uniting people and ensuring common strategic interests. The authors classify global and regional environmental threats. Plenty of examples illustrate local environmental risks and their relation to regional security issues. Accordingly, two interconnected sets of measures are distinguished between two types of environmental threats (risks). The first set involves the active participation of countries in various international environmental programs. The second set of measures aims at developing mechanisms for systematic expert analysis of significant projects directly or indirectly affecting the environment of neighboring countries.