It now appears that our 2024 trip to Japan and Korea won’t be at cherry blossom season. But that may have been impossible to predict in any case since climate change is cited as the reason for the wild swings in the timing of the blossoms in recent years.
While researching trip dates for Korea, we read that “Seoul cherry blossoms bloom 14 days early, second earliest in history“. Meanwhile, near our home in Greater Vancouver the cherry blossoms were at least two weeks late, with blossoms still on the trees at the end of April. And April was ridiculously cold, with Vancouver setting a new record with snow in six consecutive months for the first time in recorded history! (Vancouver Breaks Winter Snow Record) That snow certainly confused our poor daffodils. Usually in bloom in February, in 2023 they waited until March but were still faced with snow and chilly temperatures.
Climate change is certainly making it difficult to pack for our trips. On our recent trip to the Arabian Peninsula we encountered temperatures 10 degrees C higher than normal, and ended up carrying around useless jackets for a month. Then upon our return home we were strolling through the cherry blossoms in our winter coats in April!
Why we’re not worried about AI (yet)!
Amidst all the hand-wringing about the dangers of AI (see for instance “AI ‘godfather’ Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google“), we thought that we’d again test out an AI chatbot. We asked for 1000 words on the topic “Cherry Blossoms and Climate Change” and got the drivel below. There are several obvious errors in punctuation, broken English, and at least one obvious error in logic (confusing correlation with causality). And although we didn’t request it, the AI chatbot wrote the hypothetical blog entry in the first person, as a Japanese individual! And don’t even get us started on style; just flowery words (pun intended!) mixed in with psuedoscientific babble. No, our main concern isn’t that we’ll be replaced by AI, but rather that everything that we read will soon be AI generated content and that no one will notice nor care!
As spring approaches, many of us are looking forward to the beauty and joy that comes with cherry blossom season. Unfortunately, due to climate change, this beloved tradition may be threatened in the future.
Cherry blossoms have been a part of Japanese culture for centuries and are an important symbol of renewal and hope. They represent fragility in life – something that is particularly poignant during times like these when we’re all feeling vulnerable due to the pandemic. As such, they can bring a sense of comfort as well as excitement at their arrival each year after winter has passed by.
Sadly though, climate change could cause some disruption to our traditional celebration if temperatures continue rising beyond what cherry trees can tolerate or if extreme weather events become more common – both scenarios being predicted by scientists studying global warming trends today. Rising temperatures mean earlier blooming periods which could lead to shorter viewing seasons, while heavy rains or strong winds might damage delicate petals. In addition there’s also potential for increased pest infestations caused by warmer climates which would further add stress on tree health.
Fortunately though there are steps we can take now so that future generations will still have access to this beautiful event. Planting indigenous varieties helps ensure genetic diversity, while protecting existing groves from development gives trees more room for growth. It’s also possible (and encouraged) to plant new cherry blossom trees in areas where they don’t currently exist, thus helping expand their range across regions – especially those most affected by rising temperatures so people everywhere can enjoy them!
Climate change is already having an impact on our planet and it’s up to us as individuals and communities alike to do our part in mitigating its effects so that cherry blossoms will continue being a part of spring for generations to come!
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