In this blog post, we examine the impact of global warming—which has accelerated since the Industrial Revolution—on ecosystems and humanity, and whether the international community’s response is sufficient.
Global warming refers to the phenomenon of rising average temperatures on the Earth’s surface. While warming has occurred in the past, the term “global warming” here primarily refers to the warming observed since the Industrial Revolution. This is because the causes of past warming differ from those of post-Industrial Revolution warming. Past warming was a natural phenomenon resulting from the Earth’s annual average temperature fluctuating in cycles of 400 to 500 years. In contrast, the warming observed since the Industrial Revolution is caused by human activity: the rapid increase in fossil fuel use has altered the climate system, reducing the amount of radiant heat escaping into space.
The primary cause of global warming is known to be the greenhouse effect caused by greenhouse gases. Solar energy directed toward Earth passes through the atmosphere, reaches the Earth’s surface, and is then re-radiated back into the atmosphere. This radiated energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide. As a result, more of the energy radiated from the Earth’s surface remains near the surface rather than escaping into the upper atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise. Consequently, when exposed to the same amount of solar radiation, the Earth’s surface temperature becomes higher than it would be in the absence of an atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect can be easily understood by comparing it to a plastic greenhouse. The plastic covering the greenhouse allows light to pass through but blocks heat. The heat generated when light entering through the plastic warms the interior of the greenhouse cannot escape through the plastic. The temperature inside the greenhouse continues to rise, and the plastic covering the greenhouse acts in the same way as greenhouse gases. Just as the temperature inside a greenhouse rises as the plastic becomes thicker, the Earth’s surface temperature rises as greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase.
Greenhouse gases that cause the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and CFCs. Water vapor is water that has evaporated from the ocean, lakes, and the Earth’s surface, so it does not have a significant impact on the greenhouse effect. In contrast, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs, and nitrogen have a direct impact on the greenhouse effect due to their concentration levels. Methane generated by the combustion of fossil fuels, tropical forest fires, livestock farming, and agricultural expansion; CFCs used in refrigerants, pesticides, and cleaning agents; and nitrogen from chemical fertilizers have all been increasing rapidly in recent years, and the greenhouse effect caused by these gases is also intensifying. Among these, carbon dioxide has the highest concentration and contributes most significantly to the greenhouse effect.
Global warming is causing abnormal weather phenomena, leading to natural disasters such as rising temperatures in the Arctic and Antarctic, glacier retreat, floods, droughts, and rising sea levels. These natural disasters are having a major impact not only on the environment but also on society and the economy. As the Earth’s average temperature rises, natural ecosystems are changing, including earlier flowering of trees, earlier nesting of birds, shifts in the habitats of insects, plants, and animals, increased bleaching in coastal areas, and a decline in biodiversity. Furthermore, as the frequency of natural disasters increases, the number of related fatalities is steadily rising. Diseases closely linked to climate change—such as malaria, bacterial dysentery, and scrub typhus—are also on the rise, posing a threat to human health. Climate change caused by global warming is also altering market supply and demand and negatively impacting industrial sectors such as energy and transportation.
According to the IPCC, a specialized research body on climate change, atmospheric temperatures are projected to continue rising throughout the 21st century unless international efforts are made to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations. According to the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report, global warming is expected to proceed at a rate of approximately 0.2°C per decade over the next 20 years. This is 210 times faster than the temperature rise observed over the past 100 years and significantly faster than the rate of change over the past 10,000 years. Atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, currently at about 368 ppm, are projected to rise to between 490 and 1,260 ppm during the 21st century, and the resulting global average temperature is expected to increase by approximately 1.4 to 5.8 degrees between 1990 and 2100. Furthermore, average sea levels are projected to rise by 8 to 8.8 cm during the 21st century compared to 1990 levels, raising the possibility that low-lying areas, including South Korea, could be submerged by seawater.
The international community recognizes the severity of global warming and is making efforts to prevent it. In 1985, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme declared that carbon dioxide is the primary cause of global warming, and in 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established to conduct investigations and research on climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted at the 1992 Rio Conference in Brazil, aims to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to prevent extreme weather events caused by global warming. At the First Conference of the Parties (COP 1) held in Berlin, Germany, in 1995, it was recognized that the reduction obligations under the existing convention were insufficient to prevent global warming. Consequently, at the Third Conference of the Parties (COP 3) held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, with its main provisions focusing on reduction targets for developed countries after the year 2000. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that imposes legally binding obligations for greenhouse gas reduction, setting specific targets to encourage countries around the world to work toward preventing global warming.
The South Korean government has also established and implemented policies to combat global warming. A prime example is the greenhouse gas emissions trading system. This system utilizes market mechanisms to allow the trading of greenhouse gas emission allowances, enabling the efficient and cost-effective achievement of emission reduction targets. By allowing emitters to choose between investing in emission reduction measures or purchasing emission allowances based on the price of carbon, this system offers greater flexibility compared to direct regulation. In addition, the South Korean government has introduced the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a system under which developed countries implement greenhouse gas reduction projects in developing countries and receive emission credits for the results. In addition, the government has introduced and operates the Greenhouse Gas and Energy Target Management System and regulations on vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. It is also striving to prevent global warming by establishing a greenhouse gas statistics system, training professionals in greenhouse gas management, conducting R&D projects to address climate change, and promoting green living campaigns among citizens.
As such, most countries around the world recognize the dangers of global warming and, as in the case of South Korea, are making efforts at the government level to prevent it. However, government efforts alone have their limits in preventing global warming. Therefore, the international community is urging citizens worldwide to take an interest in global warming and join in actions to prevent it.
