Korean Female Scientist Sounds Alarm to Countries Worldwide on 'Climate Change Neglect'

Professor Lee Jun-yi of Pusan National University Leads Future Climate Projections in IPCC 6th Assessment Report

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A Korean female scientist is attracting attention for leading the preparation of a report that sounded the alarm on the complacent carbon neutrality goals and climate change response policies of governments worldwide.

According to the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Sixth Assessment Report of Working Group I on the 9th (local time), warning that if greenhouse gas emissions are not minimized, a great catastrophe will befall the entire Earth. This strengthened the warning from a similar 2018 report that the global average temperature rise compared to the industrial era would reach 1.5℃ by 2052, presenting an analysis that all scenarios indicate reaching 1.5℃ by 2040.

The report projected that if the lowest emission scenario promised under agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement is followed, the temperature rise by 2100 is likely to be limited to below 1.5℃. However, under the medium emission scenario, it is expected to rise by about 2.7℃, and under the highest emission scenario, by about 4.4℃.

The report also pointed out that it is clear that humans are the cause of the current climate warming, and that the intensification of climate extremes such as heatwaves, heavy rains, wildfires, and sea level rise will accelerate. It sharply criticized governments worldwide, which have set carbon neutrality goals for 2050 but are "wavering" due to industrial interests, stating, "At this rate, within 20 years, nature and humans will reach a critical threshold they cannot endure."

In particular, the scientist who led this report was Professor Lee Joon, a Korean woman at the Climate Science Research Institute of Pusan National University. Professor Lee participated as the first Korean lead author domestically and co-led the writing of Chapter 4, "Future Global Climate: Near-term Information and Long-term Outlook," together with Jochen Marotzke, Director of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Meteorology in Germany. From March 2018 for over three years, she led the work producing these research results and future projections.

There were a total of 11 Korean experts participating in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. Besides Professor Lee, Jeong Tae-sung, a researcher at the National Disaster Safety Research Institute (WGII), and Professor Jeong Tae-yong of Yonsei University (WGIII) also participated as lead authors. This is the first time Korean experts have been included as lead authors. Researcher Yoon Kyung-sook of the Climate Physics Research Group at IBS Pusan National University also contributed as a chapter scientist and contributing author. Professor Lee also participated as a lead author for the Monsoon Supplement, Climate Variability Supplement, Technical Summary, and the Summary for Policymakers (SPM). She contributed throughout the IPCC report as a contributing author for Chapters 2, 11, and the Atlas chapter.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.