Environmental security and the Canadian Arctic

As a human security proponent, the Canadian government has declared its support for environmental security. Nowhere is this declaration's application more important than in the Canadian Arctic. Environmental degradation issues affect Northern inhabitants in terms of health, safety and culture, to name a few. This thesis explores environmental security from a theoretical basis, focusing on the Canadian Arctic as a region representative of environmental security concerns. This paper discusses environmental security in its theoretical formations. It then analyzes how the Canadian government has applied its theoretical conceptions of the term to its commitment to its Northern Foreign Policy. Ultimately, this paper finds that while the Canadian government's efforts to rectify Arctic environmental security concerns are positive, there is still work to be done if Canada seeks to fully commit to an environmental/human security agenda.