1;Foreword;6 2;Foreword;8 3;Foreword;10 4;Foreword;12 5;Foreword;14 6;Contents;18 7;Acknowledgements;28 8;Permissions and Credits;32 9;Prefaces;54 10;The Anthropocene: Geology by Mankind;56 11;Connecting Inconvenient Truths: Urgency of Nuclear Disarmament in a World of Pressing Problems¹;58 12;Living in and Coping with World Risk Society;64 12.1;Old Dangers - New Risks: What is New About World Risk Society?;64 12.2;The Ruse of Risk: Global Risk is an Unpredictable and Impersonal Force in the Contemporary World;66 12.3;Consequences and Perspectives;67 13;Population Prospects and the Challenges of Sustainability;70 13.1;The Sensitivity of Long-term Population Trends to Deviations from Zero Population Growth;71 13.2;The Increasing World Urbanization;72 14;Towards a Great Land-Use Transformation?;76 14.1;The Climate Change Challenge and LanduseMitigation Options;76 14.3;The Earth's Carrying Capacity Conundrum;77 14.4;The Great Land-use Transformation;78 14.5;Global Agricultural Commons: A Proposal;80 15;Part I Introduction: Concepts of Security Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks;82 15.1;1 Introduction: Coping with Global Environmental Change in the Anthropocene;83 15.1.1;1.1 Introduction and Objectives of the Book;83 15.1.1.1;1.1.1 Contextual Change from the Holocene to the Anthropocene;83 15.1.1.2;1.1.2 Structure of the Environmental Security Handbook;85 15.1.1.3;1.1.3 Three Stages of Addressing Global Environmental Change;85 15.1.2;1.2 Three Debates on GEC, Security and Disasters;90 15.1.2.1;1.2.1 Focus on GEC: Approaches from the Natural Sciences;91 15.1.2.2;1.2.2 Focus on Security: Approaches of the Social Sciences;92 15.1.2.3;1.2.3 Focus on Natural Hazards and Societal Disasters;92 15.1.3;1.3 Coping with GEC and Hazards with Adaptation, Mitigation and Resilience Building;92 15.1.3.1;1.3.1 Phases of Scientization, Politicization and Securitization;94 15.1.3.1.3;1.3.1.3 Securitization;95 15.1.3.2;1.3.2 Coping with GEC;95 15.1.3.3;1.3.3 Mitigation Against GEC;96 15.1.3.5;1.3.5 Protection, Empowerment and Resilience Building;98 15.1.4;1.4 Dialogue Among Three Scientific Epistemic Communities on Global Change, Security and Disaster;99 15.1.4.1;1.4.1 Security Community;99 15.1.4.2;1.4.2 Natural Hazard and Disaster Community;101 15.1.4.3;1.4.3 Global Change Community;102 15.1.4.4;1.4.4 Towards a New Interdisciplinary Epistemic Community;102 15.1.5;1.5 Horizontal Cooperation Among Ministries and International Organizations on GEC, Security and Disasters;103 15.1.6;1.6 Key Questions and Structure of the Book;103 15.1.6.1;1.6.1 Concepts of Security Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks;105 15.1.6.2;1.6.2 Military and Political Security Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks;105 15.1.6.3;1.6.3 Environmental and Human Security Dangers in the Near East and Three Regional Prospects until 2020 and 2050;106 15.1.6.4;1.6.4 Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks for Urban Centres in Hazards and Disasters;107 15.1.6.5;1.6.5 Coping with Global Environmental Change: Climate Change, Desertification, Water Management, Food and Health;107 15.1.6.6;1.6.6 Coping with Hazards and Strategies for Social Vulnerability and Resilience Building;109 15.1.6.8;1.6.8 Vulnerability Mapping and Environmental Security Indicators;111 15.1.6.9;1.6.9 Improved Early Warning of Conflicts and Hazards;111 15.1.6.10;1.6.10 Summary and Conclusions;112 15.1.7;1.7 Concluding Remark;112 15.2;2 Concepts of Security Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks;113 15.2.1;2.1 Introduction;113 15.2.2;2.2 Reconceptualizing 'Security Threats';114 15.2.2.2;2.2.2 'Threat' as a Scientific Concept;114 15.2.2.3;2.2.3 Redefining the Concept of 'Threat' to Security since 1990;115 15.2.2.4;2.2.4 Application of a Widened Concept of Security Threats;116 15.2.3;2.3 Reconceptualizing 'Security Challenges' .;118 15.2.4;2.4 Reconceptualizing 'Security Vulnerabilities';119 15.2.4.1;2.4.1 The Political and Societal Term of 'Vulnerability';119 15.2.4.2;2.4.2 Vu