In the Climate Crisis, "We are Sinking"

"We are sinking." This is a phrase from a speech delivered by Tuvalu’s foreign minister, Simon Kofe on November 13, 2021, with his thighs submerged during the 26th 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Minister Kofe stressed that climate crisis is a reality and there are places in the world struggling with whether it will be able to survive or not. With abnormal weather and climate disasters occurring all over the globe, the world is calling for everyone to respond together.

Over the past year, the world has suffered tremendous damage from several climate disasters. In July 2022, wildfires in California caused casualties along with a high-temperature climate, and they burnt forests more than six times the size of Seoul. In August 2022, Pakistan recorded the highest level of rainfall since 1961, flooding one-third of its land and leaving 33 million people homeless. It resulted in a national emergency in which about 1,300 people were killed, 8,094 square kilometers of farmland and 19 water supply systems were destroyed.

■Climate Crisis, Korea Also Can’t Avoid

Korea was no exception. The East Coast forest fire lasted for about nine days from March 4th, 2022, and recorded the most prolonged and significant damage ever. About 250㎢ were enveloped in flames, which is more than 40% of Seoul's area. Busan recorded its lowest temperature in 10 years due to the influence of the Arctic cold wave. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration Disaster Prevention Weather Information System, on January 8th, the lowest temperature in the morning was –12.2°C (degrees Celsius) at 6:49 a.m. The wind chill exceeded -19.8°C. Damages of freezing and bursting also occurred one after the other. According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, 69 cases of cold wave damage were received for four days from January 23rd, when the warning was issued.

The "climate crisis" was one of the causes of abnormal weather that caused significant damage. The climate crisis refers to artificial climate changes, not natural climate change. Experts cite the weakening of the Jet Stream as a critical reason for the climate crisis. Jet Stream is a strong airflow that passes through the upper atmosphere of the mid-latitude region and significantly impacts temperature changes throughout the Earth. Professor Ha Kyung-Ja (Prof. of Atmospheric Environmental Science, PNU) said, "The Jet Stream is very unstable due to global warming. It is the cause of unusual weather such as the global cold wave."

Academics also view the climate crisis as a serious issue. Most scholars perceive it as a problematic situation and assert that the climate crisis can worsen. Prof. Ha said, "Currently, the theory of climate crisis, posing a threat to the entire ecosystem due to artificial fluctuations caused by global warming, is the most reliable. As the problem of increasing carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is directly related, abnormal weather can occur more and more frequently."

Like this, unusual weather such as the global cold wave, the floods in Pakistan, and the floods in Gangnam, South Korea, harms the ecosystem and threatens humanity. Earth has undergone numerous climate changes, but the phenomena that humankind has experienced in recent years are unusual and the damage is enormous. It is not just a change in vaporization but a climate crisis.

■Individual Effort is Essential

Prof. Ha claimed that the actions we practice ourselves are gathered, and then we can cope with the climate crisis. Some activities that save energy and practice separate collections in real life can have practical effects. Prof. Ha said, "There are ways to practice academically such as research, but real-life activities are also important. The more people practice, the higher the effectiveness. I'm sure that individual activities can positively affect the climate crisis."

Some students are voluntarily responding to the climate crisis. "Tomorrow", one of the central clubs of Pusan National University (PNU), which continues its activities with interest in the climate crisis, is one of them. So Jin-Hee (Dept. Of History Education, 14), the chairman of Tomorrow said, "I found myself neglecting the climate crisis during college life, and I started a club to help those who want to be active but cannot find a way."

"Tomorrow" has actively engaged in activities such as participating in Climate Justice Marches and conducting its plogging since it was created in 2022. Above this, it operated environmental booths at the festivals of Daedongje and Siwol-je to give people the experience of making eco-friendly shampoo and PopGrip using sea glass. In addition to discussions and learning about the root causes of the climate crisis, they conducted the campaign in Seomyeon. In September 2022, they participated in the Climate Justice March held in Seoul.

Chairman So argues that policy support is necessary along with individual practice. It means that it is somewhat unreasonable to try to resolve this problem alone. She said, "I think that real-life practice has a significant effect in raising individual awareness and bringing about change, but it is only possible to respond to the climate crisis when individual practice, policy support, and change are combined."

Club Tomorrow announced that it would continue its activities continuously. Chairman So said, "We are planning activities that can bring about change in the public through various campaigns and activities. If possible, we will also hold some lectures about the climate crisis on campus."

Reporter Cho Seung-Wan

Translated by Kim Hyeon-Hee