As record-breaking heat continues across Japan and around the world, the free online video “2050 Weather Forecast (Ver. 2),” was released at 1:00 p.m. on August 3. The video was produced by the 2050 Weather Forecast Production Committee, in which NHK Enterprises serves as one of the lead organizations. Dr. HASEGAWA Toshihiro, President of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), contributed to the project as an expert on food security issues.

The video (in Japanese) is available at:
https://sdgs.nhk-ep.co.jp/program/2050tenki/
https://www.japan88.jp/2050tenki

This video is based on the Japanese version of “Weather Forecast for 2050,” originally produced by NHK in September 2014 as part of a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) campaign coinciding with the United Nations Climate Summit. Twelve years later, many of the climate change and extreme heat events that were portrayed as future scenarios for 2050 are already becoming reality. In response to the accelerating climate crisis, “Weather Forecast for 2050 (Ver. 2)” has been updated and renewed based on the latest scientific knowledge.

The video also highlights how extreme heat and abnormal weather caused by climate change can affect agricultural production and the stable supply of food, potentially leading to future food crises. Climate change is not only an issue of temperature and weather; it is also closely linked to our future food supply and everyday lives. We hope this video will encourage viewers to think about climate change as an issue that directly affects them.
 

Photos courtesy of NHK Enterprises