This aspect of sustainability has been referred to as environmental security and creates a clear need for global environmental agreements to manage resources such as aquifers and rivers which span political boundaries, and to protect shared global systems including oceans and the atmosphere.
Ovaj aspekt održivosti označen je kao ekološka sigurnost i stvara jasnu potrebu za globalnim ekološkim ugovorima radi upravljanja resursima poput akvifera i rijeka koje prelaze političke granice, te radi zaštite globalnih sustava uključujući oceane i atmosferu.