Sustainability - Issue 1

SUSTAINABILITY VOL. 01 | JUNE 2020 NLCS JEJU ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SOCIETY

CONTENTS 02 JUNE ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR 03 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 04 SILICON VALLEY'S ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES 06 CONTAGION: A COUNTERATTACK FROM THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 08 HOW DID COVID-19 AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT? 09 GLOBAL WARMING IS NOW THREATENING OUR LIVES REISE | PAGE 2

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JUNE ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR

June 5 World Environment Day : United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment June 8 World Oceans Day : United Nations day for celebrating the role of the oceans in our everyday life and inspiring action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources June 17 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought June 21 International Climate Change Day : a worldwide movement of young people who are concerned about climate change and global injustice June 22 World Rainforest Day : a day to help protect rainforests by raising awareness and encouraging action to protect them 02

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS On 5 June, Environmental Studies Society and Junior School Eco Committee celebrated World Environment Day - with more than 143 countries worldwide!

World Environment Day is celebrated on 5 June every year and is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment. First held in 1974, it has been a campaign for raising awareness on environmental issues emerging from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. This year's theme was "Biodiversity."

To celebrate the day, we held various events around the school.

Junior School: No Food Waste House Competition, Green Slogan Competition and "Snacks without Packs" Campaign Senior School: Green Slogan Competition and "Pledge Tree" event

Junior School Green Slogan Compeition

Display of Green Slogans and Pledge Tree

For the Pledge Tree event, students wrote their own pledge about what they can do for the environment and sticked them up on the Pledge Tree.

Also, Green slogans that convey inspiring messages about how to protect the environment were submitted by Junior School and Senior School students. They were then designed by our members and were displayed in front of the library.

Junior School Food Waste House Competition 03

SILICON VALLEY'S ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

MICHELLE QIAO, JODIE CHEN LELAND HIGH SCHOOL

Silicon Valley is home to some of the most well established technological organizations in the world, including 18 companies listed on the Fortune 500. As the global environmental crisis increases in urgency, many Silicon Valley companies are taking measured steps in addressing sustainability through reducing carbon emissions and plastic waste, as well as practicing sustainable eating.

The companies making the biggest environmental friendly changes span the San Francisco Bay Area.

The tech giant Apple, which raked in a revenue of 53.8 billion in 2019, has recently reached 100% sustainability. A spokesperson released a statement stating, “We proved that 100 percent renewable is 100 percent doable. All our facilities worldwide—including Apple offices, retail stores, and data centers—are now powered entirely by clean energy. But this is just the beginning of how we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. We‘re continuing to go further than most companies in measuring our carbon footprint, including manufacturing and product use. And we’re making great progress in those areas too.” The road to 100% sustainability involved incredible creativity: the company even sports compostable plastic alternative containers, a hardware recycling facility, and electricity-free air ventilation.

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On January 12, 2012 the city of San Jose enforced a ban on plastic bags. From that day on all retailers could not give out single-use bags without charging for it. The Mercury news states, “Surveys after the bag ban in 2012 found 89 percent fewer bags in storm drains, 60 percent fewer in creeks and 59 percent fewer on city streets, compared with surveys before the bag ban.” It has become common around Silicon Valley for customers to bring their own reusable bags or pay a minimum of 10 cents per plastic bag. In the years after the ban was placed many local companies started giving out branded reusable bags as advertisement at school fairs, sport team’s events, and community fairs.

Fig. 2. Local shopper in Silicon Valley, Anna Yoon, carrying groceries using a plastic bag

Fig. 1. Signs Informing Shoppers of the Newly Imposed Ban on Reusable Shopping Bags

THE TECH GIANT APPLE HAS RECENTLY REACHED 100% SUSTAINABILITY.

However, in recent months, Silicon Valley has needed to compromise on some of its environmentally friendly initiatives in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Gavin Newson released an executive order lifting the ban on plastic bags for 60 days on April 23, 2020. The order announced, “It is critical to protect the public health and safety and minimize the risk of Covid-19 exposure for workers engaged in essential activities, such as those handling reusable grocery bags.” This allows retail shops to hang out plastic bags for free and bans shoppers from bringing their own bags. Some shops still charge customers for the bags. One one of the largest American chain grocery stores, Trader Joe’s, banned reusable bags nationwide and is waiving the cost of bags for all their customers.

Even though stores across the US are banning plastic bags, there are still many things we can do for the environment. Silicon Valley is one of the world’s tech epicenters, and its people and companies are working towards a more sustainable future for our world. With this in mind, let us make environmental friendly changes, and happy World Environment Day! 05

CONTAGION: A COUNTERATTACK FROM THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

In the past two decades, the world has been swept several times by new and deadly pathogens. Examples include various Avian influenza strains whose first human transmission was confirmed in 1997, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that was first discovered in 2003, and Ebola virus disease in 2014-2016.

The most prominent commonality between a majority of recently emerging infections is their zoonotic nature. Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people or, more specifically, diseases that originate from animal reservoirs and can infect humans.

(Shiel, 2020)

MINSEO CHA

The primary cause of zoonotic diseases has been the destruction of the natural environment by humans. Humans have disposed of waste in forests and other parts of nature in search of natural resources. Thus, wild animals that have lived away from humans have lost their habitats and sources of food and have been pushed into human-inhabited areas. As a consequence of the blurred borderline between the wild and humanity along with increased contact between wildlife and domesticated animals, the transmission of previously unknown viruses has increased.

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The outbreak of the Ebola virus is the epitome of this. From 1976 to 2019, there were over 30 outbreaks of the virus in West Africa. This highly contagious disease causes death by haemorrhage of blood throughout a patient’s body. Flying foxes, fruit bats with 1-meter wingspans that live deep in the rainforest, were the animals that passed on the disease. Outbreaks of Ebola have occurred immediately after large portions of natural resources-rich African forests were destroyed due to the corporate interests.

(Katsuhisa, 2020) Environmental destruction is a consequence of humans’ actions based on their desire for deeper pleasure and larger economic profit. Increase in meat consumption is just one of them; as the demand for meat expands worldwide, livestock are growing in number. This has led to an increased number and spots of contact between human and animal populations, generating and expanding various types of illnesses. For instance, from 1998 into the following year, people in Malaysian Borneo died of Nipah virus due to pigs in the forests. A mass population of pigs were raised in the Borneo forests to meet Singaporean demand for imported Malaysian pork. These pigs were infected by a Nipah virus that spread by the urine of fruit bats inhabiting the area, and the disease was then passed on to nearby human residents. It later spread to India and other parts of Asia, resulting in Nipah virus outbreaks in 10 separate outbreaks. (Anon, 2020) Animal populations do not have to be raised as food to pose a contagion threat to people.

Wetlands that are used as wintering areas for migrating birds have been disappearing in recent years and this has influenced the contagiousness of avian flu. Ishi Hiroyuki, an environmental journalist and scientist, stated that “Overcrowding of birds in wintering areas has significantly raised the possibilities for transmission of viruses by ducks.” (Katsuhisa, 2020)

The vast majority of modern infectious diseases like COVID-19 are zoonosis – diseases that are transmitted by animals. Many view this as a counterattack by mankind’s natural predator in response to the way we have continued to exploit nature and take the environment lightly.

In the post-coronavirus era, there must be greater attention to “One Health” approach to animal agriculture – an initiative that reconciles agriculture, veterinary medicine, environmental and human health, and underlines the value of raising animals in a way that enhances the ecosystem. Taking our attention off of any of these issues and their interrelationships is risking disastrous problems in the long run.

MANY VIEW ZOONOTIC DISEASES AS A COUNTERATTACK

BY MANKIND’S NATURAL PREDATOR IN RESPONSE TO THE WAY WE HAVE CONTINUED TO EXPLOIT NATURE AND TAKE THE ENVIRONMENT LIGHTLY. Bibliography Center for One Health Research. (2020).

“Contagion” and Emerging Infectious Diseases from an Occupational and Environmental Medicine Perspective. Available at: https://deohs.washington.edu/cohr/blog/2011/ 28/contagion-and-emergin-infectiousdiseases-occupational-and-environmentalmedicine [Accessed 3 Jun. 2020].

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HOW DID COVID-19 AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?

SEUNGMIN JANICE YOO

For some, the coronavirus outbreak has raised awareness and appreciation of nature and our environment. Videos and photographs of horned goats roaming the street in Llandudno, Wales, have gone viral across the internet. In Italy, as the country proceeded its lockdown, dolphins, and swans were seen swimming in Venice. Lockdown in a country meant less traffic on the roads and less pollution, which provides wildlife space to thrive. However, the pandemic also has harmful impacts on the environment and the natural world, including our oceans, due to disposable face masks and gloves scattered along the seabed.

Fig. 1. Horned goats roaming the street in Llandudno, Wales Also, in many parts of Africa like Kenya as well as Cambodia, there have been a lot of reports regarding the increase of bushmeat poaching. In Africa’s rural areas, people are facing challenges in finding their next meal which leads to an increase of poaching.

As the majority of people in rural areas of Africa rely on their one-day work pay, they cannot survive if they cannot go to work. For example, a person who is a taxi driver and earns money to buy his family meal every day, this is impossible due to the lockdown. Hence, there is no such solution other than poaching wildlife, for the people in rural parts of less developed countries.

Thus, continuing to trade and consume wild animals through poaching should be restricted in countries. One of the solutions that experts came up with was to monitor poaching or illegal logging in the ecosystem using drones with thermal imaging technology. However, technology on its own cannot prevent the harmful effects of the environment due to poaching, especially at this period where people are jobless and starving. The short term negative impacts can be reduced by immediate interventions that include distribution of food in rural areas, cash transfers, and support from non-governmental organizations like the WHO. For the long term impact, it is crucial to widening the paths of income, so that countries do not merely rely on tourism for their survival.

In conclusion, this again conveys that humans are responsible for the conservation of the environment. Due to the lockdown, we were able to improve the environment to a certain extent.

However, there were inverse effects in less developed countries due to poaching. Humans are the only one that can save or harm the environment. We have the responsibility.

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GLOBAL WARMING IS NOW THREATENING OUR LIVES HYEYUN ALISON SONG Now is the time to consider global warming seriously. Will it be possible to reduce Global Warming?

Global warming is a phenomenon where the average temperature of the Earth's surface increases.

Usually, healthy Earth has a certain amount of greenhouse gases that maintain an average temperature of 15 degrees. The global average temperature will increase if greenhouse gas is produced more than necessary. The CNET reported that global warming has accelerated climate change, making the Earth's surface temperature the highest in the last five years.

Discontinuous incidence is happening in the Earth which is very unusual. So why has climate change gotten worse in recent years? Formerly, climate change was a natural cause. But after the Industrial Revolution, climatologists see this change as being caused by humans. The destruction and pollution of the earth's environment, including urbanization, industrialization, and deforestation, have a lot of effects on the climate. Korea also takes part in impacting global warming.

Korea is the world's ninth-largest in CO2 emissions. In addition, Korea is one of the world's top five plastic consumers which also have a huge impact on the increase in greenhouse gases. Due to this serious problem that Korea has, the Korean government announced a policy to achieve a 37% reduction rate of greenhouse gas by 2030. To reduce greenhouse gas production, all the Korean must make their personal efforts.

People should use lesser petroleum products such as plastics or plastic bags. Instead, they should use the reusable bag.

Moreover, people need to reduce unnecessary energy use. For example, unplugging all the outlet while you’re not using in your home will reduce energy consumption significantly. The resources and energy that we consume recklessly to our convenience can come back to us as an inconvenience. Human’s small action will change the future.

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CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Minseo Cha WRITERS Jodie Chen Michelle Qiao Minseo Cha Seungmin Janice Yoo Hyeyun Alice Song DESIGNER Minseo Cha

CONTACTS If you would like your environment-themed article/artwork/photograph to be shared via Sustainability, please contact the co-chairs: Minseo Cha mscha22@pupils.nlcsjeju.kr Seungmin Janice Yoo smyoo22@pupils.nlcsjeju.kr