While the world is striving to fight COVID-19, climate change is sounding a warning all over the globe. In particular, the changes in the Arctic Siberia are unusual.

In the first six months of 2020, Siberia experienced a period of unusually high temperatures, including a record-breaking 38 degrees in Verkhoyansk on 20 June, causing wide-scale impacts including wildfires, loss of permafrost, and an invasion of pests.

According to European Union data, temperatures in Arctic Siberia soared to a record average for June in a heat wave that is stoking some of the worst wildfires. When compared to the normal temperature of Siberia, calculated from the average of every June from 1950 to 2018, this year was up to 10°C higher. The average temperature increase, for the whole region over the entire month, was in excess of 5°C.

What's more concerning is that temperatures in Verkhoyansk, a Siberian city, hit 38°C, surprisingly close to 40°C on June 20. The city is classified as ‘cold with a dry winter climate’ and is known as the coldest region in the world. The city has an average midsummer temperature of 16°C in July, and an average temperature of -45°C in January.

Due to the dry weather caused by this abnormal climate, more than 300 wildfires broke out in Siberia this year. As a result, over 1,400㎢ of forest were destroyed, more than twice the size of Seoul.

To make matters worse, abnormally high temperatures have accelerated the melting of snow and ice and contributed to permafrost melt, which led to a major oil spill. Experts say it has caused extreme climate in East Asia, recently, including the longest rainy season ever in Korea.

Now, we should pay more attention to this issue and live a low carbon life to protect our lives from natural disaster.

L.L.F reporter Hyeon-Bin Song