Peyzaj Ve Küresel İklim Değişikliği Etkileşiminin Görsel Anlatım Biçimleri Üzerinden Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

İklim değişikliği, gezegenin ortalama sıcaklık değerlerinde ve bunun sonucu olarak hava olaylarında meydana gelen büyük ölçekli değişimlerdir. Doğal yollarla oluşan iklim değişimleri, volkanik etkinlikler veya gezegenin yörüngesindeki farklı durumlara bağlı olarak uzun zaman aralıklarında gerçekleşirken, endüstrileşme ile insan faaliyetleri sera gazı emisyonlarını artırmış ve iklim değişikliği etkilerinin peyzaj üzerinde çok kısa bir zaman zarfında gözlemlenmesine neden olmuştur. Bu çalışma ile peyzaj ve küresel iklim değişikliği etkileşimi irdelenmiş ve iklim değişikliği konusunda farkındalık oluşturmaya yardımcı olan görsel anlatım biçimleri üzerinde durulmuştur. Çalışma konusunun ortaya çıkmasında, iklim değişikliği ve peyzaj konularında yazılan çeşitli uluslararası kuruluşların raporları, bilimsel makaleler ve kitaplar ile yapılan literatür taraması etkili olmuştur. Şiddetlenen doğa olaylarının doğal peyzaj üzerindeki etkileri, buzullarda, su kaynaklarında, kara ekosistemlerinde, deniz ve kıyı ekosistemlerinde görülmektedir ve canlıların adaptasyon zorluğu çekmesine neden olmaktadır. İklim değişikliğinin, kültürel peyzaj üzerindeki etkileri ise insanlar üzerinde fiziksel, ekonomik ve sosyal olumsuzluklara yol açmaktadır. İklim değişikliği etkilerinin azaltılmasında, bireylerin ve yönetimlerin bu konuda bilinçlendirilmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Medya kullanımının yaygın olduğu günümüzde, görsel anlatım biçimleri eğitimde büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bilimsel verilerin görselleştirilmesi ve görsel kurgu ürünlerini içeren görsel anlatım biçimleri, halkın algısını etkilemekte ve iklim değişikliğine karşı azaltım eylemlerinin gerçekleşmesinde tetikleyici olmaktadır. İklim değişikliği etkilerine karşı azaltım ve adaptasyon sürecinde, sürdürülebilir, eşit ve düşük karbonlu bir toplum yaratılmasında peyzaj mimarları da önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Kompakt şehirleşme, karma kullanım, yeni ulaşım formları ve yeşil alanlar ile kentsel peyzajın dönüştürülmesi yanında, ekosistemlerin zarar görmesini engellemeye ve biyoçeşitliliği korumaya yönelik çalışmalar yapılması hedeflenmelidir. Peyzaj ve iklim etkileşimi ve bu etkileşimi aktaran görsel anlatım biçimleri, neden sonuç ilişkisi içinde incelenmiş ve çalışmanın sonucunda bir zaman çizelgesi hazırlanmıştır. Böylece zaman içinde gelişen süreçler gözlenebilmektedir ve burdan hareketle peyzaj azaltım stratejilerinin geliştirilmesi sağlanmalıdır.

This study centers on the interaction between landscape and global climate change and the forms of visual representation that contribute the awareness about climate change mitigation. Making a literature review on climate change and landscape, through scientific articles, books and reports of various international foundations had an effect on shaping the research topic. With this study, it was concluded that, landscape and climate are not independent components of ecosystems and visual images are effective on altering climate change perception. Climate change is large scale anomalies on average temperatures and weather events of the planet. While long term natural climate changes are shaped by volcanic activities and variations in the orbits of the planets; extreme industrialization and global dominance of economies based on fossil fuels are the anthropogenic causes of the short term radical climate irregularities. Natural landscape has transformed and it has been integrated into cultural landscape by humans since Industrial Revolution in the beginning of 18th century. Besides, greenhouse gas emissions have increased with the use of fossil fuels. The activities related to increasing human population as urban sprawl, destruction of wetlands and deforestation, affect the microclimate and accelerate global climate change. The anthropogenic climate change could lead to irreversible damages in ecological systems. Furthermore, this change in the global climate alters the landscape and hence, leading to new configurations of life among living things including humans. Population growth and globalization transform consumption patterns and increases the energy demand for transportation and manufacturing sectors. Thus, producing energy from fossil fuels increases carbon dioxide emissions and causes the pollution of land and oceans. The highest carbon dioxide levels on atmosphere that has been measured in recent years shows that there will be an inevitable increase on average temperatures. Empirical results are exposing as shifting weather patterns, perturbations on hydrological cycles and sea levels, and deviation on strength and direction of winds. Today, the impacts of climate change can be seen in Arctic and arid regions of the world. The effects of weather events on natural landscapes can be observed on cryosphere, water resources and water cycles, terrestrial ecosystems, ocean and coastal ecosystems. Moreover, this abrupt change on climate is far more rapid than the adaptation period of the livings, which could in turn cause a reduction in biodiversity. Climate change also raise negative physical, economic and social impacts on humans in cultural landscapes as urban and rural areas. In particular, people in the Arctic regions struggle the melting of ice shelves. Pacific Islands live with the challenges of typhoons, floods and sea level rises when Sub-Saharan Africa face with the drought and water and food scarcity. The cities’ water and food sources are dependent to rural areas which can be damaged easily by the extreme weather events formed by climate change. However, in the upcoming years, it is expected that the catastrophic disasters related to climate change will arise. As the scientific researches show, anthropogenic climate change will have adverse effects on all living creatures in our planet’s ecosystems. Also human life will be under threat of climate change effects. Water resources and agricultural fields will face with drought, deteriorative weather conditions will destroy settlements and adaptation to these problems will be required. The environmental damage, resultant of the changing conditions will occur severely in developing countries, which have small contribution to carbon footprint because of their scarce resources. So, defining the interaction between landscape and climate properly and removing landscape elements that effect the climate adversely, is necessary for mitigating climate change. Facing the growing ecological crises over the past century, we, as humans have begun to understand that we may be the main cause of this uneven alteration in this global system. And humans have the power to mitigate the negative effects of this environmental problem that threatens life on earth. In this anthropogenic era with the pressure of economic growth on ecosystems, the scientists try to prove the existence of climate change with their observations contrary to the discourses formed by the sceptics. But scientists’ communication deficiency with public, disinformation campaigns, media’s misleading statements influence climate change awareness and causes miscommunication. So, individuals and administrations should be informed well about climate change and get in the act to lessen greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change awareness can be created by mass media. In our era with heavy use of traditional and social media in society, visual media has a significant role in education, being easily accessible. Forms of visual representation that narrate landscape and climate change interaction are visualizing scientific data and visual fiction products. Satellite images, photographs, climate models and scientific drawings such as graphics, maps, diagrams are used in visualizing scientific data. These images related to landscape are produced by scientific foundations and make the topic easier to understand. Besides, computer based climate models, that make predictions about time intervals of climate change effects on different landscapes and species according to different scenarios are important visual scientific tools. Scientific images are essential components of climate change education but they are ineffecient in triggering the imagination. Nevertheless, fiction products as cinema, documentary and advertisements about climate change stay longer in visual memory and shape public opinion. Ecocinema with fiction and documentary genres, narrates environmental problems and encourages to embrace ecological sustainability. While documentaries about climate change examine its effects on ecosystems and humans; fictional films enlighten the possible outcomes of this change. In recent years, the number of such fiction products rises with the increase of erudite directors and producers. As a result of a thorough analysis of academic articles, reports, climate models and visual media products, it is concluded that the emissions should be mitigated. Observing the climate change effects on landscape through visual products, can create new perspectives in environmental and social policies. Not only governments but also individuals should attempt to build mitigation strategies to reduce emissions and explore alternative methods for producing energy. People with climate change awareness should aim to warn others with the help of environmental activism, and build new forms of ecological living in order to achieve a more sustainable ecology and economy. Beside raising awareness of individuals and administrations through visual representations, landscape architects, who shape the relation between natural systems has a direct role in mitigating climate change. They have the incentive to alter ecosystems by applying the necessary knowledge for developing projects for sustainable urban and rural landscapes. In the process of global adaptation to climate change, landscape architects can help creating zero carbon compact cities with mixed-used areas and higher density developments, inventing new forms of transportation and green areas. They should also inhibit the urban sprawl towards the rural landscape and develop adaptation strategies against weather conditions and rising sea levels. Thus, along with transforming the urban landscape and reclaiming the degraded areas, they may assist to heal damages in ecosystems and preserve biodiversity. The final outcome of this study is presented in the form of a timeline that shows the relations between landscape, climate change and the forms of visual respresentation since Industrial Revolution. Through this visual product, the interactive processes about climate change with causes and effects of these activities can be seen. In conclusion, the success of Industrial Revolution caused a broad difficulty exceeding carrying capacity of ecosystems. For this reason, public awareness on climate change should be created by forms of visual respresentation such as scientific images and visual fiction products; natural landscapes should be preserved, cultural landscapes should be sustainably designed and alternative energy resources should be used, in order to prevent the ecosystems being destroyed by anthropogenic climate change effects on landscape.