2024: The Worst Heatwave of the Summer Is Coming! Dubai Floods, US Drought, and Earth's Warning: The Future Has Arrived

This is the content of the KBS Insight documentary broadcast by KBS, the public broadcasting service of South Korea.

Broadcast Date : April 18, 2024

The environment is in a precarious state. This is a documentary that you absolutely must watch. The overall plot is as follows, and I highly recommend watching it through the YouTube channel below.

Earth's History and Our Present

Earth, born 4.5 billion years ago, is now a small planet where 8 billion humans live.
Life began on Earth about 3.8 billion years ago, and since then, there have been five mass extinction events.
Scientists warn that we are currently heading towards a sixth mass extinction. The cause is humans.
If Earth's history were compressed into 24 hours, humans would have appeared only 23 hours and 3 seconds ago.

Earth's Birth and the Beginning of Life

4.5 billion years ago, Earth was hotter than the sun today. However, asteroid impacts accumulated water, and the emergence of oceans led to the beginning of life.
Water and carbon dioxide are essential elements for the birth and maintenance of life.

Earth's Mass Extinctions and Carbon Cycle

Earth has experienced five mass extinctions, and all of these extinctions are linked to the collapse of the global carbon cycle.
Rapid carbon emissions due to human industrialization are rapidly increasing Earth's temperature. This is leading to large-scale environmental destruction and ecosystem collapse.

Climate Change and Extreme Weather

Recently, Earth has recorded the hottest year ever observed, leading to various climate disasters.
The rise in Arctic temperatures has slowed the jet stream, resulting in abnormal weather patterns with alternating cold snaps and heat waves.
Wildfires, droughts, and floods are occurring more frequently worldwide.

Wildfires and Droughts

Wildfires are occurring more frequently and intensely due to global warming. This destroys ecosystems and weakens carbon absorption capacity.
Droughts are severely impacting agriculture and food production, and water scarcity issues are becoming increasingly serious.

Oceans and Climate Regulation

Oceans, which cover 70% of the Earth, play a crucial role in climate regulation. However, rising ocean temperatures are weakening ocean currents.
Weakening ocean currents cause heat energy to accumulate, leading to more powerful hurricanes and typhoons.

Earth's Future and Our Role

The climate crisis is no longer a future problem. It is a reality that has already arrived.
If we don't act now, our time on Earth may come to an end.
Every year on the last Saturday of March, the world comes together to think about the Earth – Earth Day. We must deeply reflect on the message that the darkness of this day conveys to us.

Conclusion

We must act now to protect the Earth. Efforts to prevent climate change and environmental destruction are crucial. Let's start with small steps that we can take for the future of the Earth and humanity.