Japan experiences warmest spring on record

Japan experienced its warmest spring on record this year, amidst rising global temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions and El Niño.

The Tokyo skyline seen through a cloud of dust from the I-link Town observation deck on April 13. Photo: AFP

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced on June 1st that temperatures in March, April, and May were 1.59 degrees Celsius higher than average. This makes this spring the hottest spring since the JMA began taking measurements in 1898.

"Global warming is making such record-breaking temperatures more frequent, and they are expected to become even more common in the future as global warming continues," the JMA said. According to the agency, the average surface temperature of the seas surrounding Japan in March, April, and May was the third highest since 1982.

Last month, the United Nations stated that the period from 2023 to 2027 is almost certain to be the hottest five-year period on record. This is partly due to the high likelihood of the El Niño weather phenomenon developing in the coming months, causing global temperatures to rise further.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern, often associated with rising global temperatures, causing droughts in some areas and heavy rainfall in others. The most recent occurrence of this phenomenon was in 2018-2019.

The average global temperature in 2022 was 1.15 degrees Celsius higher than the average for the period between 1850 and 1900. Much of South Asia and Southeast Asia experienced spring heatwaves as global warming exacerbated the weather. On May 29th, Shanghai recorded its hottest May day in over 100 years, surpassing the previous record by a full degree Celsius.

Scientists say climate change is increasing the risk of heavy rains in Japan and elsewhere because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. Heavy rains in 2021 caused a landslide disaster in Atami city, killing 27 people. In 2018, floods and landslides during the monsoon season killed more than 200 people in western Japan.

Japan holds the rotating presidency of the G7 in 2023. This year, the G7 committed to accelerating the phasing out of fossil fuels that are warming the Earth. However, this group of leading economies has been unable to agree on any new deadlines for ending polluting energy sources such as coal.

Thu Thao (According to AFP )

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