The Effects of Climate Change on International Trade (EN)

We hear it so much that it feels like it’s a buzzword but it’s far from it. Climate change is a real and serious issue but is not the climate always changing? What exactly is a climate change? Why should we care? Well earth’s climate changes throughout history most of these slight changes are caused by small variations in the Earth’s orbit. But climate changes as we know today is characterized by an abrupt increase in the Earth’s temperature. It’s estimated to have gotten 1.2°F to 1.4°F warmer in just the last century. 10 out of the last 13 years were the warmest years in the recorded history[1].

%97 of climate scientists agree that this new tendency is not caused by the variations of the Earth’s orbit but rather very likely caused by human activities that means you and me and since the Industrial Revolution we have come a long way; humans built airplanes, faster cars, developed remarkable technology and learned how the natural resources around us can be used for our benefit. Although this had let to many wonderful inventions and advancements like the device you’re using to read these words or the ability to take a plane halfway around the world. It also means we have increased our consumption of natural resources and in turn released a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere now greenhouse gases occurred naturally but in excess can be dangerous to our planet. Modern human activities have increased the release of non naturally occurring greenhouse gases because because we have stepped up our demand of burning fossil fuels the composition of greenhouse gases traps heat radiated from the Sun. The more they trap, the warmer our planet gets and as our planet gets warmer we begin to feel the effects.

What if climate changes biggest victims are our oceans. Oceans regulate the Earth’s temperature and provide 50% of the Earth’s oxygen. Climate change has increased the global temperature of the oceans by more than .3°F since 1969 [2].

Although a warmer ocean might seem inviting to a beach goer but it actually has devastating consequences for supporting life at sea. One of those consequences is ocean acidification meaning a direct a effect of increased dissolved co2. Since the late 18th century ocean surface acidification is increased by 30%[3]. A higher acid content means calcifying species like oysters, clams and shallow water corals are at risk. This is bad news for the 1 billion people relying on the ocean as it’s primary sources of protein.

Climate change has also caused the sea level to rise just in the last century, sea levels have risen 6.7 inches but the rate in the last decade is nearly doubled[4]. Sea levels have risen because as the ocean gets warmer it swells. On top of that glaciers and ice sheets are melting. Greenland lost 36 cubic miles of ice between 2002 and 2005[5] and since 1994 each year on average the Earth has lost 400 billion tons from its glaciers [6]. When all that ice melts it fills up our oceans and just like filling up a bathtub the shores can’t hold all that water and coastal regions get flooded. Troubling signs of climate change are increased extreme weather events; natural disasters like floods, tornadoes and deadly heat waves are more obvious to humans because of their immediate impact and their sharing of images in the media.

Climate risk management is today’s trend in the world. Global climate change plays a big role in setting the trend and these changes effect our lives as well. Especially water resources that are used by big cities are getting drought because of lack of precipitation in winter time. In the studies of global climate change it’s been observed that climatological disasters has tripled so far[7].

And due to that, it’s expected that the economic losses will increase to 300 billions of dollars in 2050[8]. These economic losses usually effect industrial areas as well. Factories, small and medium size enterprises get affected even if they don’t get directly affected their logistic lines or their work force, their products or warehouses might get harmed. It damages every sector. When a disaster hits the society, the money that the society will spend gets less. Their purchasing power gets less. They fall into poverty abruptly and it damages economy. So that these disasters are kind of a development problem; economic problem.

The future condition of industry is closely associated with climate change. According to meteorology engineer Professor Mikdat Kadıoğlu, if the carbon footprints of products that are produced in Turkey get smaller there will growth in exports. Turkey is a foreign dependent country in the field of energy. The more energy we use inefficiently the more we contribute to climate change. We increase the greenhouse gases. It’s going to make a way for current account deficit which places a burden on us. That’s why the energy must be used efficiently in the industry. The energy that is used for manufactured product must be parallel to overseas. For example, let’s say you produce cups with 10 units of carbon but a company in Europe produces the same cup with 5 units of carbon then the gap of 5 units of carbon is going to be a problem for Turkey in future. If we don’t do anything to decrease climate change, Turkey is going to be a freeloader country after 2020. And Turkey’s goods are going to be seen as defective goods.

To find a solution for global climate change, authorities of industry, agriculture and population departments must work coordinately. We need to accommodate ourselves to it. Even if we stop carbon emission today. The carbon which is in the air will be effecting us the next 200 years. There is no way to stop it. What we can do? We can accommodate ourselves to it so that we can find a way to get less effected. It’s like “where should be erecting buildings so that if a flood(because of global climate change) hits us it doesn’t effect us.” “From which seashores we should step back so that the waves doesn’t effect our investments.” “What areas should we protect for agriculture so that we can be engaged in agriculture.” And also we need to decrease the harm we do to nature so that the effects of climate change might not be too effective on us.

In 2014 summer, occupancy rate of the dams in Istanbul was too low and the same time the population was being increasing so that Istanbul had inadequate water basins. It’s another element to keep an eye on when making an urban planning. While making an urban planning, it must be planned by the population, industry, agriculture, soil structure and potential of water resources. For example, how much water can Istanbul’s water basins save? And how many people can consume it? Can it cover any industrial sector? If the water is too much you can prefer an industry which consumes too much water. If the water is low you can go for the opposite way.

Climate change is also effecting farmers directly. Especially in Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia region. In these regions the rate of rainfall will be decreasing[9]. The frequency of drought will be increasing. There might be some changes in product patterns which has been observed already. And because of that farmers get obliged to leave some products and try new products. They change the date of planting and harvesting of product. Some farmers see the climate change directly because they experience the consequences of it and they make changes according to that. They get affected directly and the people in big cities especially the poor people in big cities get affected and will get affected as well. If you realize the fact that rate of rainfall has got low lately you will also realize the fact that we will face the consequences of lack of water. On the other hand big cities are consuming too much water and it will lead us to a new water crisis. Farmers must use the water more efficiently. The infrastructure must be renovated. New seed technology must be developed. Also farmers must show some adaptation to change their agricultural behavior. They should plan the product patterns differently. They need to lower the number of yield loss. Also the state, the state should change the way of encouragement. Actually the resources are being consumed for agricultural encouragement but these resources must prioritized for the creating of future agriculture; arable and attuned to upcoming climate change agriculture.

The Paris Climate Change Agreement, what does this agreement do and what does it mean for the world? The major achievement is that for the first time ever virtually all nations committed to reducing their carbon emission “as soon as possible” and to do their best to keep global warming “to well below 2 degrees Celsius.” If the world can keep temperature rise below 2 degrees we will have a good shot at avoiding the worst. And seeing as though the 1 degree Celsius warming that has already occurred has caused us to begin suffering from noticeably more sever weather, this agreement is long overdue. The problem is that it’s not legally binding meaning it does not create rigid time lines for countries to meet their pledges, pledges that vary wildly from country to country -especially for the BRIC(Brazil-Russia-India-China) nations that are still developing and are understandably wary of sacrificing their own economic growth for the greater planetary good. That’s why pledges initially made -in this deal- aren’t anywhere near enough to meet the two degree goal[10]. But getting every country to commit to at least some kind of carbon reduction represents huge progress. Wealthier nations, basically the US and Europe will also contribute significant amount of money toward helping poorer countries develop clean power systems and reduce deforestation, which is the second largest contributor to climate change after the burning of fossil fuels. The agreement also establishes a transparent method for measuring and assessing how well each country is meeting its targets. And nations have committed to coming back every five years with new targets that should get increasingly more ambitious as the pace of technological development continues to advance. So even though the Paris agreement did not do nearly enough to make sure the problem will be solved once and for all, the bottom line is that, by acting with one unified voice the governments of the world sent a message: that the days of burning fossil fuels will quickly be coming to an end. Companies like Shell, Exxon and BP and countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran are going to have to rapidly shift their revenue models toward clean energy, or risk being left behind. So that’s what the Paris Climate Agreement is all about. It’s up to us to decide whether it will indeed represent a moment of incredible progress for the mankind.

Climate change as we know it today is change in our Earth’s overall temperature with massive and permanent ramifications. Although its consequences can be planet threatening. Scientists still believe there are things we can do on a personal level to help: Recycle and reuse things, walk or use public transportation to get to work, turn off your electronics when you’re not using them, eat less meat and while you’re at it eat more locally grown vegetables and foods and last but not least spread your knowledge and concerns about climate change with others. When it comes to climate change the main takeaway is that it’s real and although we are part of the cause yet we can also be part of the solution[11].