Human Security in the Arctic

Abstract

In the Arctic region, a central challenge is that inhabitants are exposed to multiple nontraditional and nonmilitary threats resulting from environmental, economic, and societal changes, which can be understood as threats to human security broken down to its seven components: economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, and political security. The authors argue that a comprehensive approach to human security overlaps with the concept of societal security and must, therefore, consider threats to collective identity and the essential conditions necessary for the maintenance and preservation of a distinct society.