Panama Canal
artifact
A drought is choking a waterway that carries 5-6% of world trade — proof that climate can physically throttle global commerce.
Who they are
The Panama Canal, the major shipping shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific[1].
What they do
The engine treats it as evidence that climate stress puts hard physical limits on global trade.
How it works
It carries 5-6% of global trade with 14,000+ transits a year and $2.5B+ in annual tolls, but each ship passage needs 200 million liters of freshwater. The 2023-24 drought cut daily transits from 36 to 22; Panama seized CK Hutchison ports (2024) and COSCO halted port calls. It was handed to Panama under the 1977 Carter-Torrijos treaty.
Why it matters
The engine's point: the canal shows climate stress introducing real physical bottlenecks to globalized capital, and the water crisis is expected to worsen with ongoing climate change.
The engine's record — word for word
5-6% of global trade. 14,000+ transits/year. $2.5B+ annual toll revenue. Requires 200M liters freshwater per lockage. 2023-24 drought forced transits from 36 to 22/day. BAU2 validation: climate stress introduces hard physical limits to globalized capital flows. CK Hutchison ports seized by Panama (2024), COSCO halted port calls. Carter-Torrijos 1977 transfer. Water crisis will worsen under BAU2 pollution-driven climate change.
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