It’s ‘global boiling,’ not global warming

As extreme climate becomes a new normal, we must be more conscious on climate action than before.

Four elderly farmers fell ill and died while tending to their fields in the blistering heat. The extreme heat wave following the deadliest monsoon downpour has raised alarms on public health. According to health authorities, 178 fell sick from heat-related illnesses. The number will likely increase as high temperatures are expected to persist.

Heat advisory warnings have become a daily event as the mercury reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend. The scorching conditions will likely continue next week despite some rains. Weather authorities expect August could be the hottest ever. The extreme heat has been a global phenomenon. Almost every corner of the world is grappling with the record-breaking heat and wildfires. The temperature has topped 40 degrees Celsius in many cities in Europe. California is burning with the mercury reaching 50 degrees Celsius for the first time in 110 years. More than half of the U.S. population, or 170 million, fall in regions with heat wave warnings and advisory.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared the first three weeks of July were the hottest on record with the temperature of first 23 days of July averaging at 16.95 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record of 16.63 degrees set in July 2019. It warned there was 98 percent chance of hotter summers than this summer in the next five years.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres declared. “The era of global boiling has arrived.”

“Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning,” he said, urging immediate actions by all countries to fight climate change.

As the ninth largest emitter of carbon dioxide, Korea shares the liability. But the country ranked 57th among 60 largest emitters in the Climate Change Performance Index ranked by the Newclimate Institute. Korea must act more proactively to cut fossil fuel and gas emissions and increase renewable energy.

Since extreme heat has become a summer norm, authorities must come up with measures to not repeat the mishaps from negligence against flood dangers. Protections for the elderly and children should be enhanced. Houses lacking cooling systems must be examined. The government must set up a command center to preemptively deal with the danger.

In her address to the UN climate action summit in 2019, Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg accused the adults of stealing “dreams and childhood” with “empty words” on climate change. The elder generation with the say in public policies may be indifferent to the climate crisis, but the danger can be life-threatening for the younger generation. As extreme climate becomes a new normal, we must be more conscious on climate action than before.