As if global supply chains weren’t under enough pressure right now, climate change has become yet one more stress point for the intricate, intertwined global networks that produce and distribute products for end-users. Made up of producers, vendors, warehouses, transportation companies, distribution centers, retailers and other key players, supply chains are being disrupted at every corner due to ongoing pandemic impacts, new overseas lockdowns, labor shortages and a lack of transportation capacity, to name just some of the key stressors.
We can now add climate change to that list. Defined by the United Nations as “long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns,” climate change includes natural shifts that come from variations in the solar cycle. Since the 1800s, however, it says human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
