Climate change is one of the most widely debated topics nowadays along with sustainable action. Only a few years ago, the majority of the people doubted that global warming was an actual phenomenon. However, we can actually experience the progress of global warming, or climate change, a more general term than global warming.

           Whatever the cause, climate change can be felt around us in our everyday lives, and Korea is not the exception. For the last couple of years, changes in ecosystems and animal species have occurred around the country as Korea?s average temperature is increasing year by year. As a result, the foods we consume, including fruits and fish have been changing. Furthermore, weathers are becoming more radical.

           One of the prominent examples of the radical weather in Korea is the change in rainfall patterns. Although the average amount of rainfall has not fluctuated, the patterns of rainfall have changed drastically. Korea used to be famous for its long rainy season in the summer, called jangma. One of the most important characteristic of jangma is the persistent rain, and it is common to see rain that continues for 3~4 days.

           However, the rains do not persist for such long periods nowadays, although it still rains a lot in the summer. Instead, they have become more like scolls of Southeast Asia, and usually persist for only about an hour. Moreover, they accompany sunny weather with them, which used to be something very rare in Korea.

           Most importantly, extreme droughts are becoming more common, and the water levels of rivers and lakes have been dwindling. This spring, the drought was so severe that it dried up most reservoirs and lakes. I could experience some of the droughts, as seen in the pictures below. This severe drought affected the farming of crops and fruits. Thankfully, a torrential shower in the last couple of weeks has solved this problem.

 Nonetheless, we should become more alert to the change that is now taking place around us, as this can just be start of climate change.

*Below are pictures that show a dried lake that I visited this spring.