INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS-POLI-015

Climate Change

Transnational issues can be difficult to define because some of these challenges are facilitated by networks and driven by actors such as violent extremism and cross-border crime while others might be caused by technological advancements or social interactions. These aspects make the term ‘transnational’ a problem to both policy-makers and analysts who seek a concise and clear definition, which could be used in identifying the most effective approaches for countering such issues. Transnational issues are also borderless or cross border and complex challenges that are interconnected and have some bearing on global and national security (McGlinchey, 2017). Climate change is one of transnational issue because its impacts go across borders and affect various countries. Therefore, the extreme events induced by climate change in another country require adaptation. In light of these statements, climate change is a transnational issue that involves the biophysical, finance, people and trade risk pathways.

Climate change affects transboundary ecosystems, including the atmosphere, oceans and international river basins. This means that adverse impacts of climate change in one part of the transboundary ecosystem could affect other countries that share services of that ecosystem. Such issues assemble representatives of various non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental secretariats, national governments, industry actors and academics who engage in conversations on proper mitigation measures (McGlinchey, 2017). For example, heavy rain upstream and glacial melt could lead to floods in other downstream countries. As a result, representatives from the affected countries could meet to discuss adaptation and mitigation strategies such as constructing green walls in order to reduce the risks endured by downstream countries.

The risks of climate change are also transmitted through global and regional markets or across the international supply chains. A good example is where severe drought ends up decimating harvest, especially in producer countries. Consequently, import-dependent countries will acutely feel the effects on the commodity price. This calls for the various countries to respond to the impacts of climate change by using export restrictions due to poor harvests or controlling food prices in their domestic markets, which are measures that could further trigger negative impacts such as price shocks in other countries. According to McGlinchey (2017), such challenges call for international support and cooperation as a way of enhancing adaptation action. The countries affected are encouraged to develop priorities for action and national adaptation plans.

Climate change affects capital flow because privately and publicly held assets overseas suffer devaluation or lower yields due to such disasters. Over time, climate change erodes returns and the profitability from various enterprises, which further affects the flow of private capital. For instance, extreme weather leads to unemployment of migrant workers as remittances flow more “back home.” This is why the Paris Agreement of 2015 recognizes climate change adaptation as a global issue that requires regional, national, international and sub-national response in order to protect the finance pathway (McGlinchey, 2017). Additionally, climate change forces people to move from one country to another hence causing new migration patterns. For instance, the effects of climate change on people’s livelihoods have resulted to the creation of environmentally focused ‘megaconferences’ such as COPs and the Earth Summit where different states converge to discuss effective mitigation and adaptation measures towards climate change.

Altogether, as the world becomes increasingly globalized, climate change adaptation plans require a transnational lens because no country can be insulated completely from these impacts. This means that there is need to rethink the common assumptions about the countries that are more vulnerable and consider carefully how the risks of climate change could be transmitted across borders. While some countries may consider themselves as less vulnerable towards climate change, it is important to note that the impacts of climate change can expose such countries to transnational risks.

Reference

McGlinchey, S. (2017). International Relations. E-International Relations Publishing.