Human-induced climate crisis is making Japan’s cherry blossom bloom earlier

(CNN) — Every spring, crowds flock to admire Japan’s cherry blossom — a dazzling pink and white bloom that has been revered in the country for more than a thousand years.

But the world-famous sakura plants are flowering much earlier than normal due to human-induced climate change, a new study has found.

Researchers from the Met Office in the United Kingdom and Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan say the climate crisis and urban warming have pushed forward the “peak bloom” flowering period by 11 days.

The trend of earlier peak blooms coincides with rising temperatures. Average March temperatures in Kyoto city center have increased by several degrees since pre-industrial times, under the influence of both climate change and urban warming, the scientists observed.

Part of the reason is increased urbanization. Cities tend to be warmer than surrounding rural areas because buildings and roads absorb the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes — a phenomena known as the heat island effect.

If planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions continue as they are, by the end of the century Kyoto’s cherry blossoms could start arriving even earlier — by almost another week, the study found.

“Our research shows that not only have human-induced climate change and urban warming already impacted the flowering dates of cherry blossom in Kyoto, but that extremely early flowering dates, as in 2021, are now estimated to be 15 times more likely, and are expected to occur at least once a century,” said lead author and Met Office climate scientist, Dr. Nikos Christidis.

“Such events are projected to occur every few years by 2100 when they would no longer be considered extreme.”

Cherry blossoms are in full bloom at the Lake Biwa Canal in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture on April 4.

Michihiro Kawamura/The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

Earlier cherry blossoms have wider ramifications for Japan’s economy and ecology, and are a symptom of the larger climate crisis threatening ecosystems everywhere.

“Spring cherry blossom flowering is a culturally significant event in Japan,” said contributing author Yasuyuki Aono, from Osaka Metropolitan University. Spring festivals that accompany the blooms are an important contributor to the local economy, so being able to predict the bloom’s timing can be critical.

It is common for locals and tourists alike to have picnics under the cherry trees, and businesses will sometimes offer special set meals or products during the week.

Why early cherry blossoms matter

But it’s not just a matter of tourists…