“NEXO DE CAUSALIDADE ALTERAÇÕES CLIMÁTICAS – SEGURANÇA MARÍTIMA: O CASO DO ATLÂNTICO SUL”

Abstract

Healthy oceans are vital to enhancing their own security. Among the environmental issues that could have adverse consequences for ocean security is the depletion of fish stocks. And such resources are heavily dependent on climate change, since the oceans have been absorbing a large part of the planet's excess heat over the last century - mainly created by the burning of fossil fuels - which has increased their average temperature by 1.5°F since the beginning of the 20th century and is expected to continue to grow if carbon emissions are not curbed. This has had profound consequences for many species of fish that tend to inhabit optimum temperature zones at different depths and latitudes. This article analyses the causal link between climate change and maritime security in the South Atlantic. The conclusions show that climate change is forcing many species (such as tuna, mackerel and herring, among others) to migrate to colder climates, putting additional pressure on legal fishing and the coastal communities that depend on it for food and income. On the other hand, the scarcity of fishery resources encourages an upsurge in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which contributes to increasing the unsustainability of these resources, thereby undermining the maritime security of the areas where this phenomenon occurs.