Worldwide Emerging Environmental Issues Affecting The Us Military October 2009

1. International Standards Needed to Reduce Hi-tech SIMAD Threats; 2. New International Agreement on Recycling of Ships; 3. Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications; 4. Updates on Previously Identified Issues; 5. Reports and Information Suggested for Review.

The New Zealand High Court has ruled that climate change factors can be considered during Greenpeace's upcoming appeal against the proposed Marsden B coal-burning power station. Greenpeace appealed the permission granted to the Marsden B power station to start burning coal, on grounds of environmental and mainly climate change consequences. Although this ruling is limited to New Zealand and to a specific industry, it creates a precedent with effects likely to be felt in other jurisdictions and sectors. In November, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (case 05-1120) filed by twelve states and several cities on EPA's role to regulate CO2 as a greenhouse gas pollutant under the Clean Air Act. Over 16 other litigations are pending in U.S. federal and state courts against companies whose emissions are linked to global warming; more are expected to come. Swiss Re, the world's largest reinsurance company, estimates that the annual liability costs of global warming will be $150 billion dollars per year within ten years.

Topics concern worldwide emerging environmental issues affecting the U.S. Military such as: Item 1. Climate Change at the UN and G-20, Item 2. Chemicals Management to Address Emerging Technologies-related Issues, Item 3. Draft European Transboundary Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change, Item 4. Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications, 4.1 New Detection and Cleanup Techniques, 4.2 A New Water Management Tool, 4.3 Electric Vehicle Powered by Sodium-Nickel-Chloride Batteries, Item 5. Updates on Previously Identified Issues, 5.1 UN Mission Assessment of Gaza Conflict Included Environmental Impacts, 5.2 UN Security Council Resolution on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 5.3 Observation and Information System for the World's Oceans to be Created, 5.4 Synthetic Gene Ordering Security Screening Up for Discussion, 5.5 Hazardous Waste Disposal of Increasing Concern, 5.6 Climate Change, 5.6.1 Scientific Evidence and Natural Disasters, 5.6.2 Food and Water Security, 5.6.3 Health, 5.6.4 Melting Glaciers and Sea Ice, .6.5.5 Rising Sea Levels, 5.6.6 Migration, 5.6.7 Computer Modeling, 5.6.8 Adaptation, 5.6.9 Post-Kyoto Negotiations, 5.7 Nanotechnology Safety Issues, Item 6. Reports and Information Suggested for Review, 6.1 Royal Society Issues Major Geo-engineering Report, 6.2 Energy Security Challenges for the 21st Century, 6.3 New Flood Center to Develop Warning Systems, and Appendix.

Table of Contents: "Copenhagen Accord" Brokered by President Obama at United Nations Climate Change Conference is a Step Forward in Negotiations -- Next Stop Mexico; Seven Tipping Elements That Could Transform the Planetary Systems; Emerging International Packaging Standards to Reduce Environmental Footprints; Studies Show Increased Hazards from Some Types of Airborne Particles; Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications, including New Detection and Cleanup Techniques, New Technology to Measure Single Nanoparticles, NIST Awards Development Funding for Extended Sensor for Infrastructure Health, and Increasing Energy Efficiency Technologies; Updates on Previously Identified Issues, including Climate Change, No Enforcement Mechanism Proposed for Strengthening the Bioweapons Treaty Due to "rapidly changing nature" of the threat, China to Create an Emergency Environmental Management System, Toxic Compound Detected in Chlorinated Tap Water, Environmental Effects from Flame Retardant Manufacturing Impurities, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase Ocean Noise Pollution, Arctic "Pole of Peace" Suggested to Address Arctic Security Issues, Nuclear Disarmament Dilemma Continues, and Nanotechnology Safety Issues Item; Reports and Information Suggested for Review, including State of the World 2010 Calls for a New Paradigm in Addressing Security, Summary of European Battery Regulations Released, and Water Treatment Technologies for the Removal of High-Toxicity Pollutants. The Appendix contains expanded background information on some items.

The Millennium Project defines environmental security as environmental viability for life support, with three sub-elements: * preventing or repairing military damage to the environment, * preventing or responding to environmentally caused conflicts, and * protecting the environment due to its inherent moral value. This summarizing paper presents the events and emerging environmental security-related issues identified since June 2006, organized around this definition. Over 225 items have been identified during the past half-year and about 950 items since August 2002 when the Millennium Project has began this monthly scanning. All the items and their sources, organized by the month when they were identified, are available on the AEPI web page http://www.aepi.army.mil/rpt-weei.html.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Item 1 -- China and U.S. Announce Climate Change Goals; Item 2 -- Changes to War Crimes Proposed for the International Criminal Court; Item 3 -- Increased Calls for Banning Nonlethal Riot-control Agents; Item 4 -- Technological Advances with Environmental Security Implications, including New Technique Helps Reduce Nanoparticle Wastewater Pollution, Evaporation Provides Power in New Desalination System, Increasing Energy Efficiency Technologies, and Software Standards to Connect Data Globally; Item 5 -- Updates on Previously Identified Issues, including New Decisions Adopted for Strengthening the Montreal Protocol, UNECE Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change, International Gene Synthesis Consortium Created for Increasing Biosecurity, United Kingdom and U.S. Legislators Review Geoengineering Proposals, EPA Issues New Regulations on Water Pollution from Construction, Ultrathin Solar Panels Could End Up On the European Union list of Hazardous Materials Due to Cadmium Content, Climate Change (Scientific Evidence and Natural Disasters, Food and Water Security, Health, Melting Glaciers and Sea Ice, Rising Sea Levels, Migration, Adaptation, Climate Modeling, and Post-Kyoto Negotiations), and Nanotechnology Safety Issues; Item 6 -- Reports and Information Suggested for Review, including Climate Change Threats Increasingly Top Security Agendas, European Environment Agency Draws First Map of Europe's Noise Exposure, and Consumer's Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste.

The International Organization for Standardization established in June 2005 the Technical Committee for Nanotechnologies (ISO/TC 229) with Chair and Secretariat in the UK. The scope of ISO/TC 229 is to produce standards for "classification, terminology and nomenclature, basic metrology, characterization, including calibration and certification, risk and environmental issues." The first meeting of the new Committee will be held on 9-11 November 2005 in London, organized by the British Standards Institution (BSI). Relevant military personnel should consider contacting the U.S. representatives (American National Standards Institute) on TC 229 Nanotechnologies to provide input on concerns and/or methodologies and also to be kept informed and prepared to comply with the eventual standards to be set.