Climate change clearest example of need for international cooperation

A recently published report highlighting the extent to which climate change will impact the UK is perhaps the clearest example yet that climate change is not merely an issue that will affect other countries, but what happens in those countries will also have important implications for the UK. This demonstrates that climate change is perhaps one of the most important issues in international relations today, and one that requires different states to work together to help each other overcome the problems that will be expected. It is also, however, a call for increased self-sufficiency. The life of choice that millions in the UK and overseas have come to take for granted should be considered a luxury not a necessity.

For instance, many of the food products we now routinely eat, such as pasta and different types of curry, all originate in different countries. As climate change effects the growth of wheat crops, for instance, this will affect the price of pasta, which will also affect the price we pay in the UK, in addition to the higher cost we already pay in the form of imports. This means that either demand for such goods will decrease as a result of higher costs, or that personal eating habits will have to change as people return to eating goods that we produce at home, cheaply and efficiently. The same applies to fruit and vegetables - the goods we now take for granted all year round are in truth seasonal, and to combat the effects of climate change this message should be promoted to prevent unnecessary air travel just so that we can eat what we like, when we like.

Food is not the only issue, however - as the European and global climate changes, and British weather becomes even worse (certainly a possibility), this is likely to effect Britain's tourism revenues and economic activity level. Rather than musing over how it will effect the UK, however, it is important to consider just how these effects can be combatted. To start with, governmental investment in aid and plans to combat the effects of climate change should be considered - perhaps by EU member states or global leaders putting money into a central pot and planning policies together. This will result in a more coordinated response to climate change, and would further consolidate the view that no one country can deal with this problem alone.

As to how the money should be spent, this is an issue for the countries to agree between themselves. While this will be no easy task, it is essential that countries work together, especially those countries that are to a larger degree responsible for the causes of climate change. It is evident to anyone who takes an interest in these matters that industrialised, commodity-obssessed and wealthier countries are more to blame for climate change than others. It is not about apportioning how much each country is responsible for causing climate change, but simply to reach agreement that to work together is more likely to bring about a solution than not. This piece could be much longer than it already is, but if nations can agree to agree to work together in a bid to make progress, then the future is not entirely bleak. It is simply essential that the UK accepts that it has its own part to play and to work together with other countries.