Transnational water resource management and environmental security (Poland, Ukraine).

摘要

This study examines the management, the institutional structure, and the capacity of shared water resources along the Poland-Ukraine border in order to gain insight into the amount of environmental security risk that Poland faces. A case study site that facilitates understanding of the multi-layered factors involved was chosen and the basic problem was broken into three questions concerning that site: (1) To what degree does water quality (management) of the Western Bug River affect Polish Environmental Security? (2) To what degree do interactions between Poland and Ukraine with respect to setting water quality standards and management practices facilitate and/or threaten Polish Environmental Security? (3) What is or could be the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in increasing Polish environmental security, specifically in the context of water quality management of the Western Bug River along the common Polish-Ukrainian Border?; The Western Bug River is the case study site, located in Eastern Poland where the river flows out of Ukraine and forms the border between Poland and Ukraine for 205 km. Water management at the study site is affected by Poland's membership in NATO and its desire to be admitted into the European Union (EU). The influence of NATO and the EU adds layers and complexity to the transnational nature of water quality issues that center on this particular river.; Answering the three research questions provided insights into the interconnectedness of the manifold layers of institutions working at multiple scales, geographic and temporal, and showed that when they function effectively they reduce one of the environmental stressors that causes environmental security risk. Determining the degree of environmental security risk assists decision-makers in allocating the correct amount of resources and energy in addressing the greatest risk. In the case of a transnational river, these identified risks can become the basis for agreements or commissions to plan and coordinate for the best response.; The last research question specifically brings in the role that NATO plays and goes further to ask what could that role become?