Photo: Japan Forward
The bright colors of Japan’s cherry blossom are a sight to behold, enchanting thousands of locals and tourists every spring with its white and pink bloom.
For years, the blooms of the flower have been bringing blessings and prosperity to Japan. However, this year they bloomed earlier than expected, which scientists say will continue for the following seasons.
Human-induced climate change has pushed the blooming of the sakura plants earlier than usual. According to the researchers from the Met Office in the UK and experts from the Osaka Metropolitan University of Japan, the climate crisis and the localized warmer temperatures made the “peak bloom” of the flowers happen 11 days earlier.
Last year, the cherry blossoms made their earliest bloom in 1,200 years when they bloomed on March 26 — days earlier than their scheduled peak.
In a finding sent to the journal Environmental Research Letters on May 20, scientists predict that the early flowering dates will become more common. Scientists say that the warming temperatures caused this to happen.
Warmer temperatures are human-induced
One factor that contributes to extreme heat in Japan is urbanization. Increased urbanization means more buildings and roads that absorb more heat than the natural landscape – the phenomenon is called the heat island effect.
Lead author and climate scientist at the Mat Office, Dr. Nikos Christidis, said, “Our research shows that not only have human-induced climate change and urban warming already impacted the flowering dates of cherry blossom in Kyoto but that extremely early flowering dates, as in 2021, are now estimated to be 15 times more likely and are expected to occur at least once a century.”
Recently, scientists found that apart from urbanization, another factor leading to warmer climate temperatures in recent years has been burning fossil fuels which lead the country closer to an even earlier blooming schedule.
On another note, warmer temperatures will adversely affect the surrounding ecosystem. Experts say that it will affect the life cycles of plants and animals – the blooms of the cherry blossoms as an obvious example.
The growth and overall health of economically valuable crops and animals will also be disrupted, leading to challenges in food security and livelihood.
Opinions expressed by CEO Weekly contributors are their own.
