Last weekend, I attended an international conference on sustainable and impact investment held in Hamburg, Germany. The cityscape stretching along the Elbe River was as cold as expected, yet amid the biting wind, the sight of people walking through the city bundled in thick coats, hats, and gloves conveyed a surprisingly warm and comforting atmosphere.

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Like the extreme cold waves that have recently affected the northeastern United States, Hamburg has experienced the tangible impacts of climate change over the past two decades. Heatwaves that swept across Europe in 2018 and 2023 have reshaped Hamburg’s summer climate, increasing the number of prolonged hot days and culminating in an unprecedented temperature record of 40.1°C in 2022. At the same time, winters have become increasingly erratic. During my stay, strong winds accompanied temperatures dropping to as low as –5°C, underscoring the growing volatility of seasonal patterns.

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Although Hamburg lies at a latitude similar to that of southern Canada or parts of Russia, it has a maritime climate shaped by the North Sea. This moderates extreme cold relative to continental Europe, with average January temperatures typically ranging between 0 and 3°C. Yet local researchers I met at the conference consistently remarked that living in Hamburg makes it impossible to dismiss climate change. This observation is hardly unique to the city; it reflects a broader, shared experience across regions once considered climatically stable.

Climate change is often conflated with global warming, but the two are not identical. Global warming refers specifically to the rise in the Earth’s average temperature driven by excessive greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. Climate change, by contrast, encompasses the longer-term transformations in precipitation patterns and atmospheric conditions that result from this warming. What concerns climate scientists most is that these changes are intensifying the frequency and scale of extreme weather events, including heatwaves and cold snaps. As a result, regions previously regarded as safe and livable are increasingly becoming areas of heightened risk. Coastal cities, in particular, are now compelled to rethink architecture, land-use planning, and urban design with climate change as a central assumption rather than a distant possibility.

 

Against this backdrop, one of the key themes discussed at the conference was forest-based climate solutions. Forests function not only as critical carbon sinks, absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, but also as natural buffers against climate-induced environmental changes. Coastal mangrove forests, for example, reduce soil erosion and mitigate damage during storms, while the expansion of urban forests can enhance biodiversity and improve public health and quality of life for local communities.

 

A prominent international framework supporting such approaches is REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus). Under REDD+, developing countries that reduce deforestation, prevent forest degradation, or pursue conservation and restoration can receive carbon credits corresponding to verified emission reductions, which may then be sold to governments or private entities. Indonesia demonstrated the feasibility of this mechanism by selling approximately USD 56 million worth of carbon credits to Norway following recognized emission reductions in its forest sector during 2016–2017. Costa Rica offers another compelling example, having integrated REDD+ with its Payment for Ecosystem Services program to provide direct compensation to landowners. Through this approach, the country increased forest cover from roughly 25% in the 1980s to over 50% today, achieving simultaneous gains in carbon mitigation, biodiversity conservation, rural income, and ecotourism.

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These cases offer a clear lesson. Policy tools and financial mechanisms for carbon reduction are becoming increasingly diverse, and they hold substantial potential to support sustainable economic development in lower-income countries. Despite ongoing challenges—including governance constraints, political instability, and land tenure issues—forest-based climate finance represents a policy area that merits sustained, long-term engagement from the international community. Encouragingly, South Korea has recently opened a field office for a REDD+ mitigation project jointly implemented with Laos and is preparing for full-scale implementation.

Since returning from Hamburg, I have once again been confronted with heavy snowfall and severe cold affecting the eastern United States. As increasingly unpredictable winters become part of everyday life, concern for carbon reduction and climate action is no longer optional. It has become an essential condition for resilience in a changing climate.

 

This is the English translated version; Original article in Korean is published at the US Edition of Korea Times on February 6, 2026 ​

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