The professor highlights the recent extreme weather events and their consequences, such as the record-breaking rainfall in South Korea during the monsoon season 2023 and the severe droughts that preceded it. The report also notes the highest average temperatures recorded since 1973, significantly increasing heat-related illnesses.
The fluctuations in climate have led to earlier flowering times for plants and a notable impact on agriculture, causing price hikes in essential crops like cabbages during the kimchi-making season, and fruits and vegetables.
The philosophical aspect of the message is from Genesis 2:4-7, suggesting an intrinsic bond between humans and the Earth, a concept known as (身土不二), which means "body and land are not two" or "we are one with the Earth." We are not separate from the climate; the environment directly affects our way of life, even down to our skin color and thought processes.
Lastly, it compares the extreme weather conditions, like the summer heat in Beijing to natural disasters, calling them a "heavenly quake" (천진) that disrupts the balance of the heavens and threatens all life beneath it. Are we aware of and understand the implications of climate change for ourselves and future generations?
This message serves as a call to recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and to reflect on our role within the Earth's ecosystem. It's a reminder that the health of our planet directly correlates with our own survival and well-being.
The neighboring city of Beijing, China, experienced extremely high temperatures reaching 51°C in the summer of 2023. What will happen if the temperature rises to 51°C in our country? While an earthquake is an event in which the ground shakes and splits, an abnormal climate is a catastrophic phenomenon that can be called a heaven quake (天震) that breaks the balance of the sky and all living things under it. This means that one's existence may be harmed and no longer able to survive. Do we live with an understanding of what this abnormal climate, this climate crisis, means to ourselves and to the generations that come after us?
