English (Computer Integration)

Earth’s climate has been changing for quite a while now. It has been observed and proven to be
changing ecosystems at an incredibly fast rate and at huge scales too, more than those
ecosystems can cope and adapt. These changes on the ecosystems will then change each species
living in them. It will trigger a domino effect in the ecosystems like “expansion into new areas,
the intermingling of formerly non-overlapping species, and even species extinction.”
As of now, climate change is affecting Earth as a whole. But the effects vary locally. Some
ecosystems can adapt well, while some unfortunately couldn’t.
The aquaculture industry is an example of major industries affected by climate change.
Aquaculture production has increased globally (with marine aquaculture accounting for 35% of
total production). Since the 1950s, the rate of growth has accelerated to 10% each year.
Now that coastal aquaculture has grown in importance as a food supply, it is critical for the
industry to comprehend the possible consequences of climate change on cultivated species.
Higher temperatures may boost the growth rates of cultured species and enable the cultivation of
species that otherwise can’t because of cold waters. However, it’s possible that an ecosystem will
become too hot to support the culture of a heat-sensitive species.
The Philippines is not exempted from the effects of climate change.
The Philippine aquaculture industry comprises about 3.5% of the national GDP. Which means it
plays a major role in the nation’s economy and development.
Climate change impacts on marine capture fisheries in the Philippines are expected to reduce
fisheries GDP by about 9% in the mitigation scenario and by about 18% in the extreme scenario
up to 2060, compared to the baseline scenario. This is definitely bad news for the Philippines. If
this continues for a while, more than one billion aquaculture workers will be affected.
Based on this knowledge, it is highly recommended that:
1. The Philippine Government should find ways to cope with the effects of climate change
on the aquaculture industry. Such as making artificial ecosystems suitable for the marine
species that are not able to adapt well with climate change.
2. All the Governments of the world must work together to prevent the rapid changes of the
global climate. More conventions tackling the causes of climate change should be held
and prevention protocols should be in place.
References

National Research Council, Committee on Ecological Impacts of Climate Change, Board

on Life Sciences, & Division on Earth and Life Studies. (2008). Ecological impacts of climate
change. National Academies Press.

Kennedy, V. S., Twilley, R. R., Kleypas, J. A., Cowan, J. H., & Hare, S. R. (2002).
Coastal and Marine Ecosystems & Global Climate Change: Potential Effects on U.S. resources.
Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

Ayson, F. (2015). (publication). Aquaculture Contributes to Food Security and Poverty

Alleviation. Retrieved 2022, from https://www.seafdec.org.ph/2015/aquaculture-contributes-
food-security-poverty-alleviation/.

Suh, D., & Pomeroy, R. (2020). (rep.). Projected Economic Impact of Climate Change
on Marine Capture Fisheries in the Philippines. Retrieved 2022, from
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00232/full#:~:text=The%20climate
%20change%20impacts%20on,compared%20to%20the%20baseline%20scenario.