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Writer's pictureCherry Sung

The world is now in a natural disaster frenzy


San Francisco Bay Bridge, California covered in red with wildfire smoke (Yonhap News)

Climate scientists said on September 9 that there will be a drought and a large fire that struck California, the United States, an abnormal high temperature in Death Valley that hit 54.4 degrees Celsius, and a natural disaster that surpassed the typhoon that hit Korea and Japan, the Associated Press reported.


"The situation is going to get even worse," said Kim Cobb, a climatologist at Georgia Tech. "It's a level that challenges your imagination, and as a climatologist in 2020, I'm afraid to even know the future."


He warned that the situation will not be worse in the 2030s, saying, "We are facing a series of disasters amid the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic." He said that this natural disaster was predicted from 10 to 20 years ago.


Cathy Delo, a climatologist from North Carolina, said, "It's been something we've been talking about since 10 years ago," but said the scale of natural disasters now occurring was difficult to gauge at the time.


Another climatologist, Jonathan Overpeg, Dean of Environmental Studies at the University of Michigan, said, "With climate change heating the atmosphere, a natural disaster that is twice as much as it is today will occur within 30 years."


The coastal road hit by the Typhoon High Line (Reporter Hyeong-ju Son)

"It is clear that the burning of fossil fuels exacerbates climate change and disasters," said Walid Abdalati, dean of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado, a former NASA chief scientist.


World Meteorological Organization (WMO) President Peteri Thalas said, "Because more heat is trapped in the atmosphere, we have provided more energy for these phenomena." Not only does this increase the power of tropical storms, but in some areas it is drought, and in others it is caused by heavy rain,” Thalas said.


Scientists also believe that the recent record fires and heatwaves in California are directly linked to climate change. "Some of the natural disasters that are currently appearing cannot be directly related to warming," said Dean Overpeg, but explained that looking at the 'big picture' over time, it goes back to the heat energy trapped in the atmosphere.


The US Commodity Futures and Exchange Commission (CFTC) Advisory Committee reports that urgent measures from financial authorities such as the Federal Reserve System (Fed) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are needed to respond to climate change, which impairs the stability of the US financial system. Released on this day.


Lake Charles, Louisiana, hit by Hurricane Laura (Yonhap News)

The 196-page report warned that "the physical impact of climate change is already affecting the United States," and warned that improving the 'zero emissions' constitution could have a major impact on the economy, Reuters reported.


The report explained that if the perception of 'risk' changes due to the recent frequent wildfires and hurricanes, the value of assets could plummet. "The corona 19 crisis has already reduced the liquidity of households, businesses, and governments, making the economy weak."


The report recommended that Congress set a heavy carbon tax to curb the use of fossil fuels by corporations and markets, and that financial authorities such as the Fed should include a 'climate crisis' in the debt category when purchasing local governments or corporate assets.


Some of the proposals include that companies are obligated to disclose emissions, and that banks should address climate-related financial risks.

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