00:00As you all know, it's currently 38, 39, even up to 40 degrees outside.
00:04It feels like being inside a blazing sauna, and it's hard to breathe.
00:07The heat wave is that serious.
00:09Most of South Korea is under a heat wave advisory,
00:12with a severe heat wave warning in many parts of the capital region and parts of Jolun-Am-Do.
00:17A severe heat wave warning is issued when the highest perceived temperature is expected to be 38 degrees or higher,
00:23or the highest actual temperature is expected to be 39 degrees or higher for at least one day,
00:27in areas where the highest perceived temperature of 35 degrees or more has continued for more than two days.
00:32So far, 65% of the metropolitan area is under a severe heat wave warning.
00:37Right now, damage from the heat wave is rapidly increasing.
00:40Until last month, on July 13th, 12 people suffered from heat-related illnesses,
00:44setting a new daily record for heat-related patients in Seoul.
00:47However, on August 2nd, there were 18 cases, on August 3rd, 25 cases,
00:51and on August 5th, 39, people in Seoul suffered from heat-related illnesses.
00:55As the scale increased nationwide, even more people suffered from heat-related illnesses.
01:00Especially this year, from May 15th, the cumulative number of heat-related illness cases reached 250, including two deaths.
01:06Especially for those who have to work outdoors or farm, they have no choice but to go outside,
01:11so the damage from this is rapidly increasing.
01:13Above all, professional baseball is also suffering greatly from the heat wave.
01:16The KBO announced that due to the ongoing nationwide heat wave and safety concerns for spectators and players,
01:23they will hold an emergency executive committee meeting on the 21st to discuss countermeasures.
01:28As a result, all five KBO League games and all Futures League games scheduled for the 5th and 6th have
01:33been cancelled.
01:34A spectator in their 20s lost consciousness and collapsed at the stadium due to extreme heat during the game.
01:40After the game, more spectators collapsed, with up to 25 suspected heat-related illness cases.
01:46Additionally, the National Fire Agency raised the fire risk warning to the highest level.
01:50Due to the intense heat wave, air conditioners are used much more often.
01:54Consequently, fire risks from air conditioning equipment have risen.
01:57Immediately, the average number of fires per day, which was 84, increased by 19.4% to 100.8 cases
02:03from July 10th to 27th when the heat wave warning was expanded.
02:06From July 17th to August 4th, the daily average rose to 116.9 cases, a 15.9% increase from
02:13up to July 20th.
02:14In just one month, there were 32 more fire incidents.
02:17This kind of heat wave damage is not unique to Korea.
02:20It's no exaggeration to say the world is trapped under a heat dome, as heat wave damage rises everywhere.
02:26In Austria, the capital city Vienna recorded a maximum temperature of 41 degrees Celsius.
02:29With severe drought on top of that, some areas are experiencing a 90% decrease in rainfall compared to the
02:35average year.
02:36Slovakia also set a new national record, reaching 41.4 degrees Celsius.
02:40Due to the prolonged heat wave and drought, the Danube River's water level has reached a record low.
02:46Across Europe, the record heat wave has caused over 1,300 more deaths than usual, leading to a surge in
02:52casualties.
02:53On top of that, wildfires are also a serious problem in Europe.
02:57According to a report by the Financial Times, the damage from wildfires in Europe this year has exceeded 3 billion
03:02euros.
03:03This figure far surpasses the EU's annual average damage of 2.5 billion euros.
03:07There are even assessments that say the wildfire damage just this year could exceed three times the amount of damage
03:12caused by wildfires in the EU from 2011 to 2018.
03:16The situation is also serious in the U.S.
03:18In Phoenix, Arizona, the daytime high hit 46.7 degrees Celsius.
03:23Las Vegas, Nevada recorded 46.1 degrees, and El Centro, California recorded 47.8 degrees.
03:29As a result, this kind of heat wave has had a significant impact on our daily lives.
03:34So what exactly is the reason behind this unprecedented heat?
03:37This heat wave is mainly caused by the North Pacific high-pressure system, with the Tibetan high overlapping above it.
03:44In the upper atmosphere, the hot, dry Tibetan high is present, while in the mid to lower atmosphere, the hot,
03:49humid North Pacific high dominates.
03:52These two high-pressure systems are stacked vertically, creating a structure where thick layers of hot air are piled up.
03:58Under high pressure, sinking air currents develop.
04:01The air being pushed down from above gets compressed as the pressure increases, causing its temperature to rise gradually.
04:07At the same time, the descending air currents prevent clouds from forming and growing.
04:11With the clouds gone, the intense heat energy from the sun strikes the ground directly, heating up the surface intensely.
04:17Because of this, it's fair to say the Korean peninsula feels like a scorching furnace.
04:22However, the main cause is global warming.
04:25Currently, an unprecedentedly strong El Nino is happening on Earth.
04:29Climate scientists are closely monitoring sea surface temperature as the key indicator.
04:34Foreign news reports say global sea surface temperatures have matched 2024 levels since last May and have set record highs
04:41nearly every day in June.
04:43According to a survey by the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, it has been confirmed that about 82% of
04:48the entire ocean surface on Earth is experiencing marine heatwave conditions this year.
04:52James Hansen, a NASA climate scientist who has been professionally studying climate change for over 40 years, predicted that this
04:59year's temperature will slightly surpass that of 2024 and set a new record.
05:03He explained that since the ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth's surface, the massive heat generated in
05:09the ocean is reflected in the global average temperature with a time lag of about a month and a half.
05:14He went on to warn that as the heat from the ocean is transferred to the atmosphere, the Earth as
05:18a whole has now reached a dangerous point where it is beginning to break all sorts of temperature records in
05:23earnest.
05:23The sea surface temperature, which has become so intensely heated, is clearly signaling the arrival of a super strong El
05:29Nino.
05:30El Nino is a natural phenomenon in which the sea surface temperature in certain areas of the equatorial Pacific continues
05:35to rise, rapidly raising the Earth's average temperature and causing extreme distortions in weather patterns around the world.
05:41Currently, most weather forecasting models predict that the upcoming El Nino will be the strongest ever recorded in observation history.
05:48Experts say that the rise of a super strong El Nino is also due to human-caused climate change.
05:53Zachary Laib, a climate scientist at the non-profit scientific organization Climate Central, explained that while El Nino originally serves
06:00to release heat accumulated in the ocean into the atmosphere, much more heat is now trapped in the ocean due
06:05to greenhouse gases.
06:06As a result, the amount of heat released into the atmosphere this time will be incomparably greater.
06:10He emphasized that the total amount of heat accumulated in the Earth's oceans is an indicator proving climate change caused
06:16by human activity, and that this figure is breaking record highs almost every day.
06:21Climate experts are expressing even more serious concerns about the heat that will come next year compared to this year.
06:25There are some differing opinions among scholars about whether 2026 will break the record for the highest temperature ever, but
06:32most experts agree that in 2027 temperatures will soar much higher than this year, making it very likely to be
06:37recorded as the hottest year since weather observations began.
06:40This means that the heat wave in 2026 is just a preview, such a severe El Nino is expected to
06:46eventually cause great damage to humanity.
06:48As I mentioned earlier, the sea surface temperature is already being evaluated as the highest since at least 1982, and
06:54some media outlets have even mentioned that it could be the strongest case since 1950.
06:58But as El Nino becomes more severe, heat waves also become more intense.
07:03The problem is that this triggers food shortages.
07:05The WFP has projected that the number of people suffering from food shortages could increase by 49 million, reaching 274
07:12million.
07:13This is a 22% increase compared to previous estimates.
07:16And the economic damage is expected to reach $4 trillion by 2030, which is $5,768 trillion won.
07:22However, the problem is that it's now too late to try to solve the issue of global warming.
07:28Even if everyone on Earth turned off electricity and reverted to a primitive lifestyle right now, it's unclear if we
07:35could halt the major trend of climate change.
07:37The Earth's self-recovery capacity has exceeded its limits, and we've passed the climate system's tipping point.
07:43Major climate organizations like the World Meteorological Organization warn we must keep Earth's temperature rise below 1.5 degrees above
07:51pre-industrial levels to ensure humanity's survival.
07:54However, the World Meteorological Organization has officially announced that in 2025, the Earth's average temperature increase had already completely surpassed
08:02the 1.5 degree threshold and tipping point.
08:04Earlier, Copernicus Climate Change Service researchers from the European Union reported that Earth's temperature rise exceeded the 1.5 degree
08:13tipping point in 2023.
08:15As major international organizations and specialized climate research institutions have officially confirmed one after another,
08:21the climate threshold that humanity promised to protect together has already been disastrously breached.
08:26Immediate action from all of humanity is needed to stop global warming, but so far we are not seeing any
08:31such action at all.
08:32Especially, the powerful nations leading the world economy keep running their factories under the pretext of national interests and industrial
08:39competitiveness,
08:39and are releasing massive amounts of greenhouse gases and carbon into the atmosphere every day.
08:44Even as the entire planet is burning and countless lives are at risk, national interests and political calculations get in
08:50the way,
08:51so real carbon reduction agreements always end up going nowhere or remain just empty slogans.
08:55Even at this very moment, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is reaching new highs every second,
09:01and it's as if we are stepping on the accelerator toward disaster ourselves.
09:05Even after crossing the tipping point, humanity still refuses to end selfish fights over its own interests.
09:11Now, all that remains for us is to endure the even more devastating and scorching disaster that is coming,
09:16and no one will be able to escape from this great tragedy.
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