Climate Change Affects Flowering Dates Of Cherry Blossoms In Japan, Experts Says

Japan's famous spring symbol, cherry blossoms, began to bloom early this year, in February, due to warmer winter temperatures.

The Asian country typically experiences its busiest cherry blossom season in March and April, when millions of people flock to witness the stunning displays of pink and white flowers that line the streets of the country's largest cities.

Impact Of Climate Change

Japan's cherry blossom blooming dates have been impacted by the country's urban warming and climate issues.

The recognizable flowers bloomed 10 days earlier in 2023 than usual, tying an early record set in 2020 and 2021 for the earliest bloom date since records went back to the 1950s.

Experts say that this tendency indicates a concerning fact: our planet is warming alarmingly, and the early sakura are warning signs of bigger changes to come.

According to Mie University professor of climate and ecosystem dynamics Yoshihiro Tachibana, Japan's four treasured seasons are completely in jeopardy, especially if greenhouse gas reductions aren't achieved.

"All four seasons are warming. But spring warming is seeing the biggest rise, so the cherry blossom season tends to come earlier and earlier," he added.

Predictions regarding the bloom of cherry blossoms are a crucial aspect of Japan's spring festivities.

Since 1955, the government has established guidelines for monitoring cherry blossom trees and has been predicting the yearly bloom.

The guidelines state that a tree is said to be in bloom when five or six of its blooms have bloomed on its branches. A tree is considered to be in full bloom when eighty percent of its branches have blossomed.

In 2023, the Tokyo tree that's used for forecasting had 11 blossoms by March 14.

In addition to its cultural value, the season is a popular travel destination. According to a 2019 estimate from Kansai University, 63 million visitors travel to Japan to observe the cherry blossoms, spending about $2.7 billion in the process.

Winter Temperature

Japan's average winter temperatures have risen by several degrees since pre-industrial times due to the combined effects of urban warming and the climate catastrophe, according to scientific observations.

After several months of mild weather, hundreds of monthly high-temperature records for February have been shattered in Japan this year.

"This is the most extreme event in 150 years of Japanese climatic history," climate expert Maximiliano Herrera.

Japan's milder winters coincide with a global trend that is comparable. The heat produced by El Nino weather and human-caused climate change made 2023 the warmest year on record; yet, the first few weeks of 2024 have seen an increase in world average temperatures.

Researchers believe that by bringing these phenological occurrences to such dramatic shifts, people in Japan will become more conscious of the effects of climate change and be inspired to take action.

However, Hanna Hakko, a senior associate at E3G, an independent climate change think tank in Tokyo, asserts that Japan still has a long way to go in addressing climate change.

Numerous analyses show that Japan is not doing enough to switch to clean energy from fossil fuels, particularly in the electricity sector.

She stressed that the public and commercial sectors need to step up their efforts to grow renewable energy, retire coal plants, and improve energy efficiency by enacting laws and making more investments in these areas.