Japan is as vulnerable to climate change as any other country in the world. Its 2019 typhoon season was the costliest on record, closely followed by 2018. What’s more, heat waves hospitalized thousands across the country in 2018 and 2019, while record rainfall in this period forced millions to be evacuated from their homes.
“Typhoons that are supposed to [make landfall] only once in 100 years seem to be striking Japan every year,” says Soma Kondo, a spokesperson for Climate Youth Japan. “I think any more damage will have the entire country concerned about global warming.”
In 2018, the Environment Ministry reported that annual temperatures recorded in Japan are rising faster than the global average — and that the archipelago gets an extra day of “heat wave” weather once every five years. The report noted more days of heavy precipitation, fewer days of rain overall and a snow depth reduction of about 13% per decade.
It has recently become evident just how deep the consequences of climate change run in Japan, cutting deeply into the fabric of the country’s economy and society. The economic consequences of the climate crisis in Japan include storms that bring ruin to local infrastructure and businesses, and climate-related agricultural damage to pillars of regional economies and cultural pride such as rice, fresh produce and seafood.
Click here to read the full article.
Photo source: Dreamstime.com