***Former Korea Meteorological Administration Director Nam Jae-cheol strongly recommends actor Kim Seok-hoon***
***Highly Recommended by 6 of Korea's Top Climate Change Experts***
***Climate Change Journalist Award·Commendation from the Minister of Environment and the Director of the Korea Meteorological Administration***

Heavy rain, heat waves, wildfires, and drought
Climate change is already destroying South Korea's economy and daily lives.

The climate crisis is no longer a distant story.
From torrential rains that flood roads in the middle of the night, to wildfires engulfing city centers, to unusually high temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius even in autumn, to even heavy snowfall in spring, Korea's climate is clearly off the rails.
'Climate breakdown' isn't just an environmental issue; it targets our wallets and our safety directly.
Rising sea levels are driving down coastal land values, and seawater encroaching on farmland is driving up food prices.
The increasing damage from disasters each year leads to increased insurance premiums and burdensome recovery costs, ultimately threatening our entire lives.

The author, a climate and environment expert, draws on years of reporting and data to present a concrete picture of the already crumbling reality of South Korea.
The facts revealed in the book are shocking.
The price we have to pay to maintain our normal daily lives is much higher than we can imagine.
However, 『Climate Collapse: South Korea』 is not simply a record of fear.
It provides realistic answers on what we must do now to slow climate change and protect our lives.
There is still hope, so don't give up because it's too late.
This book warns of the dire future we face if we don't act, while also conveying the belief that we can change that future if we take action.

The IPCC report warns that future generations will experience much more severe temperature changes than past generations.
For example, children born in 2020 will live in temperatures up to 4 degrees Celsius warmer by the time they reach middle age.
Does 4 degrees seem small? However, the temperature difference between the Ice Age, when extreme cold wiped out most life on Earth and completely transformed ecosystems, and the interglacial period we live in today is about 4 to 7 degrees.
In other words, a temperature difference of 4 degrees is a temperature difference that can change the fate of not only us as individuals, but also all of humanity.

--- From "If the Earth's temperature rises by 1 degree"

Climate change is also having a clear impact on the financial services sector.
It affects insurance subscriptions and premiums, and real estate values ​​such as land and house prices also change.
It's hard to believe that weather can cause insurance premiums to rise and home prices to fluctuate. However, according to Insurance Europe, the European Insurance Association, climate change has led to an average annual increase of 7% in claims for European insurers over the past decade.
As the costs paid by insurance companies increase, insurance premiums will naturally rise, which will ultimately result in a greater financial burden for us consumers.

--- From "The Connection Between Climate and Economy"

Moreover, if climate change reaches a serious level, we may no longer be able to live on the Korean Peninsula.
The issue of climate refugees has emerged as more and more people become displaced by extreme weather events.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) predicts that by 2050, approximately 200 million people will be displaced due to climate change.
When large numbers of people are concentrated in a particular area and population density increases excessively, it can overwhelm urban infrastructure and lead to new social conflicts as people from different cultures and backgrounds suddenly mix.

--- From "The Connection Between Climate and Economy"

Many people are well aware that carbon dioxide contributes to climate change, but some may not be aware of the specifics of why vehicle emissions are a problem.
But if you look at the data, you can find out some shocking facts about the cars you've been driving without thinking about.
For example, if you drive a gasoline vehicle 30 km per day for a year, you will emit about 2 tons of carbon dioxide.
This is equivalent to one-third of the greenhouse gases emitted by an adult annually, and is equivalent to the amount absorbed by 150 to 200 large pine trees in one year.
In other words, we are emitting as much carbon as it would take a single car a year to absorb and eliminate.
Looking at these numbers, you can see how dangerous it is to think, "One car with an internal combustion engine is okay."

--- From "The Light and Shadow of Electric Vehicles"

Climate change is no longer simply a scientific phenomenon like rising temperatures or retreating glaciers; it has become a complex social problem whose scale and nature of damage vary depending on class, region, gender, and age.
Extreme weather events caused by climate change are pushing the already precarious lives of vulnerable people to the brink.
To cope with phenomena such as floods, droughts, typhoons, cyclones, and heat waves, we need various resources, such as disaster preparedness facilities, disaster insurance, and structurally sound housing.
However, the more vulnerable a group is, the more difficult it is for them to secure these resources.

--- From "Climate Change and Social Inequality"

The carbon absorption capacity of a forest is closely related to the growth cycle of the trees.
During the growing season, trees rapidly absorb carbon dioxide and grow in size.
However, after a certain period of time, growth slows down, and when the plant becomes sick or dies, it can no longer absorb carbon dioxide and may even release carbon dioxide again during the decomposition process.
For this reason, ‘cultivating’ a forest is just as important as ‘planting’ it.

--- From "Carbon Neutrality on the Way to the Forest"

The first example of AI use that comes to mind is weather forecasting.
In the past, supercomputers were used to run numerical models, but now AI is learning from past satellite imagery and actual weather data to improve forecast accuracy.
'GraphCast', jointly developed by Google DeepMind and the UK Met Office, provides global weather forecasts every six hours and is evaluated to be able to forecast precipitation and wind faster and more accurately than existing models.
In fact, Graphcast predicted the path of Hurricane Lee in 2023 approximately three days earlier and more accurately than the existing European medium-range forecast model, demonstrating that AI forecasting models are highly competitive in predicting extreme weather events.

--- From "The Two Faces of Artificial Intelligence"

Even at this very moment, people are collapsing from the heat, fleeing flooded homes, and suffering from drought.
Just because someone isn't someone I know, just because I can't see them right now, doesn't mean the pain goes away.
If there's anyone who still thinks the climate crisis is a distant issue, I hope this article will create a small crack in that thinking.
The climate crisis isn't just a problem that can be expressed in huge numbers and statistics.
It's a matter of someone's life, someone's daily life, someone's family.
You can slow it down if you don't stop it.

--- From "Conclusion - With today's heart, not tomorrow's"