Sustainable development and global security

The sustainable development paradigm demands that we leave to future generations at least the same or better possibilities for development as they exist today. This requires a balanced development of economy, society and environment, and the absence of wars and terrorism. Wars and terror attacks are causing grave damage to the development, including loss of human lives, destruction of property, decrease in economic activity, threatened individual freedoms, and destruction of natural environment. It is therefore very important for sustainability to establish a secure global environment. This requires both protection against violence and elimination of its root causes, as well as active work of individuals, national states, non-governmental and international organisations toward peace. Here we discuss security and its relation to sustainable development and energy in the contemporary world, which is characterised by the dominance of one superpower and rise of non-state structures of comparable importance: transnational companies, regional and international organisations, international conferences and forums, various non-governmental organisations and a web of educational and research institutions and organisations. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.