[Insight & Opinion] The Era of Global Boiling and Deadly Heatwaves

Across the country, the sweltering heat continues day after day. In Seoul, the tropical nights have persisted for 29 consecutive days, breaking the longest record in history. We are truly feeling the era of ‘Global Boiling’ firsthand.

Since the beginning of modern meteorological observations in the 1880s, 2023 is recorded as the hottest year globally. According to climate experts, this record is expected to be broken every year. The book published in 2023 titled Heat Killers aptly represents today’s situation. Although the translated title sounds somewhat provocative, the original title, The Heat Will Kill You First, is even more chilling. I am beginning to doubt the vague belief that I will not fall victim to the heatwave.

The author, climate journalist Jeff Goodell, vividly describes heatwave scenes around the world in his book. It is said that in 2019 alone, 500,000 people worldwide died due to heatwaves. This figure excludes damages caused by natural disasters brought on by global boiling. According to a report published in 2021 by the UK think tank Chatham House (Climate Change Risk Assessment 2021), the future damage caused by global boiling is beyond imagination. By 2050, approximately 3.9 billion people will experience more than two days of extreme heat annually, and 40% of the world’s farmland is predicted to be exposed to severe drought for more than three months each year. The report forecasts unprecedented food insecurity and migration due to changes in weather patterns and ecosystems, increasing pests and diseases, heatwaves, and droughts.

We know that the damage caused by global boiling is unequal across regions, social classes, genders, and generations, and this is indeed the case. Many poor people in developing countries endure heatwaves without air conditioning, and workers are forced to face the heat on farms or construction sites. In particular, women are more vulnerable to climate change and disasters than men.

During the 1991 Bangladesh floods, female deaths were five times higher than male deaths, and in the 2003 summer heatwave that struck Europe, 70% of the victims were women. Above all, future generations yet to be born will have to live in much harsher climate conditions than today. This is the ‘uncomfortable truth’ we have known so far.

However, recent climate disasters have expanded their scope of damage regardless of developing or developed countries, or wealth disparities. Europe and the United States experience repeated heatwaves and cold spells every year, and even middle-class and above people in developed countries frequently lose their lives due to unexpected heatwaves and cold spells. In our country, which has entered the ranks of developed nations, no one knows when or how a climate disaster might cause a tragedy. One could collapse from heatstroke while walking down the street or drown trapped in an underground parking lot or tunnel due to sudden heavy rain. It is not a matter of income level.

Many climate experts, including Goodell, are calling for action. They urge reducing air conditioning and fossil fuel use through urban remodeling and planting more trees. Otherwise, humanity will be boiled alive in a cauldron, they warn. Then, if we act more proactively, can we really return to the past? It is just a troubling thought whether it is already too late to act.

Seoyongseok, Professor at KAIST Graduate School of Future Strategy