Prepare for climate disasters from now

In its annual climate update, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that there is now a 80 percent likelihood of the planet’s average temperature temporarily going 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels between 2024 and 2028. It raised the alarm that the next five-year period could be the hottest ever. Under the Paris Agreement, the global community is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to keep the long-term average surface temperature below 2 degrees Celsius and at minimum of 1.5 degrees. This is based on the pre-industrial baseline from 1850-1900, as exceeding the threshold on a long-term and frequent basis could trigger multiple tipping points to cause irreversible and dangerous consequences for humanity and the ecosystem.

Last year, the likelihood of crossing the 1.5-degree threshold reached 66 percent. Without radical measures, the danger will become 100 percent real. When near-surface temperatures rise 2 degrees above the pre-industrial baseline, the decline of the plankton population would kill 17 percent of marine life. A rise of 3 degrees could wipe out 54 percent of the planet’s species, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The Korean Peninsula is not immune to global warming. The last three springs had been the hottest since 1973. The government pledged one of the most ambitious carbon emission goals on international stage, but whether it can achieve them are met with skepticism. Former President Moon Jae-in in COP26 Summit in 2021 vowed to cut greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2030. To meet the goal, he ordered phase-out from nuclear reactors to end up ruining state utility firms and breeding corruption with solar panels.

President Yoon Suk Yeol in UN General Assembly address in 2022 promised to help developing countries in their transitions to low-carbon energy. In the same podium last year, he observed extreme weather such as heat waves, heavy rain and typhoons becoming common. Yet the government action towards climate disaster remains sloppy as exemplified by the underground flooding disaster in Osong last summer.

We do not have to confirm the WMO data to sense the danger nearing. Last fall, leaves fell to the ground before they changed colors. Seoul experienced a Level 2 wildfire alert, the third highest in a four-tier system, for the first time last fall.

The country must brace itself for flood-related disasters ahead of the monsoon season. In longer run, it should proactively act towards its carbon goals with stronger power sourcing through nuclear and renewable energy. It must break the infamy of being the third-worst performer in Climate Change Performance Index compiled by NewClimate Institute.