Sustainability - Issue 10

SUSTAINABILITY VOL. 10 | MAY 2021 NLCS JEJU ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SOCIETY

CONTENTS 02 MAY ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR 03 A YEAR OF CHANGE 05 HIDDEN EFFORTS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY IN SOUTH KOREA 07 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 09 SOCIAL MEDIA 10 LOCKDOWNS ARE CLEARING THE AIR 12 TAKE ACTION! 13 A LOOK AT NATURE REISE | PAGE 2

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MAY ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR

May 2 World Tuna Day : a day to draw attention to the importance of conservation management and sustainable fishing May 20 World Bee Day : a day to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem May 22 International Day for Biological Diversity : a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. It is currently held on May 22. This day falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals.

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A YEAR OF CHANGE MINSEO CHA

Junior School Green Slogan Compeition Display of Green Slogans and Pledge Tree

June 2020

October 2020

The Environmental Studies Society and Junior School Eco Committee celebrated World Environment Day - with more than 143 countries worldwide! The theme was "Biodiversity."

It has been one full year since the first issue of Sustainability was published. While we have introduced diverse environmental problems to solve in previous issues, now would be a good time to reflect on the progress and changes we made since then, as this is the last issue of the year.

Thank you for engaging with our initiatives and we hope your care for the environment continues on!

E-Waste Collection & Donation Poster

We celebrated International E-Waste Day to raise awareness of and encourage e-waste recycling.

Collected e-waste items were handed in to Korea Electronics Recycling Cooperative.

Junior School Food Waste House Competition E-Waste Collection Box

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Lunchtime Quiz We celebrated World Water Day to raise awareness about the global water crisis and the importance of freshwater. Various events were held to engage students and staff to test their knowledge about water and take action.

We also shared a link to calculate water footprint: https://www.watercalculator.org/

World Water Day Posters

March 2021

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement held annually to encourage individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights. The event lasts for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. These are photos of how NLCS Jeju students and teachers participated in Earth Hour 2021.

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HIDDEN EFFORTS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY IN SOUTH KOREA JANICE YOO On the 19th of May 2021, the Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) Seoul Summit began. The P4G summit was hosted by the South Korean government for three days virtually. Countries discussed their own plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and prompted international cooperation for climate change mitigation. This event was a stepping stone for the commitment to combat climate change through multinational cooperation and to expand influence at the 26th UN climate change conference (COP26).

P4G is a global platform initiating green partnerships to deliver inclusive and sustainable growth.

It focuses on several goals mentioned in the United Nations sustainable development goals: zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities and responsible consumption and production. The P4G’s major aim is to deliver scalable and replicable change that can be noticed through positive changes in the environment. The P4G certainly facilitates active dialogue about climate change among more than 20 countries and also 21 international organizations. The theme for this year in the Seoul Summit was ‘Inclusive green recovery towards carbon neutrality’, which reflects the international community’s collective effort to achieve carbon neutrality.

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Thu The P4G indeed ensures that efforts are being made to contribute to tackling climate change and achieving sustainable development goals through collaboration between countries and international organizations.

Other than hosting the P4G summit, South Korea is also developing policies to implement effective strategies aiming at sustainability. The Green New Deal, which forms part of the Korean New Deal is a national development strategy that was introduced in July 2020 to support the nation in overcoming the unavoidable impacts on the environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Green New Deal focuses its efforts on three aspects: green transition in cities, diffusion of low-carbon and decentralized energy, and the establishment of innovative green industry ecosystems. Furthermore, South Korea is prospected to invest KRW 73.4 trillion by 2025 to mitigate the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and aid climate-resilient recovery following the Green New Deal. As such, the South Korean government is making notable progress to prevent further environmental destruction and climate change, which is shown through both domestic and international actions.

It is pleasing to note that countries including South Korea are actually conscious about the environment and are making progress towards sustainable development. However, countries and international organizations should raise awareness of the detrimental environmental impacts caused by incautious actions of individuals. Individuals should be aware that the resources are finite compared to the infinite wants of mankind, and thus should be responsible for making efficient use of present resources. We should realize the significance of individual actions and the fact that our consciousness can lead to numerous optimistic changes in terms of sustainability. Since we are aware of the concerning status of the environment in the 21st century, it is time for action to be taken.

Bibiography english.hani.co.kr. (n.d.). P4G Seoul Summit to kick off Sunday. [online] Available at: http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_ international/996607.html [Accessed 25 May 2021].

United Nations (2015). The 17 Goals. [online] United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

P4G. (2021). Delivering Breakthrough Solutions. [online] Available at: https://p4gpartnerships.org/#:~:text=P4G%20i s%20a%20global%20platform%20accelerating %20innovative%20multistakeholder%20partn erships%20to [Accessed 25 May 2021].

World Resources Institute. (n.d.). Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G). [online] Available at: https://www.wri.org/initiatives/partnershipgreen-growth-and-global-goals-p4g [Accessed 25 May 2021].

Hub, Iisd.S.K. (n.d.). Republic of Korea to “Gather Solidarity” on Carbon Neutrality, SDGs | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD. [online] Available at: https://sdg.iisd.org/news/republicof-korea-to-gather-solidarity-on-carbonneutrality-sdgs/ [Accessed 25 May 2021].

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ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ANNIE JIAHUI WANG

There are related research reports indicating that, primarily due to the exceeding population growth in the company with the intensifying demand for more food, energy, and resources, the natural environment globally is degrading at an unprecedented rate. Professionals illustrate that the trend of degradation can be ceased, but radical changes are required in all aspects of how humans interact with nature. The United Nations has an indispensable role in altering the current circumstance.

The main agency of the United Nations environmental protection work is the United Nations Environment Program. As an organization established to reflect the environmental awareness of the United Nations, UNEP assesses the world’s environmental status, identifies essential projects that require international cooperation, helps formulate international environmental regulations, and helps the United Nations system consider environmental factors formulating social and economic policies. The organization ameliorates the destructive situation worldwide in several aspects that include greenhouse gas emission and deforestation.

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Greenhouse gas emission Greenhouse gases refer to gases in the atmosphere that are able to absorb the long-wave radiation reflected from the earth’s surface and re-emit the radiation. Water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide etc are the main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The existence of greenhouse gases has both positive and negative effects on the planet, whereas the negative effects raise more public concerns. Greenhouse gases emissions can cause the temperature of Earth to rise, which can therefore lead to the melting of glaciers, the rise of sea level, abnormal precipitation, expanding desertification and other phenomena. To alter and prevent future plights, the United Nations promulgated the Paris Agreement. It was adopted by 189 countries on 12 December 2015 in Paris. The Paris Agreement is a legally international treaty on climate change, its aim is to reduce greenhouse gases emissions and all participating countries cooperate to adapt to climate change. The treaty provides developed countries with methods to assist developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change financially and technologically.

Over the years, the agreement has accomplished its goal to a certain level, low-carbon solutions and new markets have been provoked. Multiplying countries, regions and companies are establishing carbon neutrality policies. Economic sectors that represent 25% of emissions have competitive zero-carbon solutions. Before the treaty was established, the global emissions were to push the temperature up by 35°C by 2100, now, after the arduous work of the countries, that trend has reduced to 2.9°C. It is also calculated that emissions fell 23% below 1990 levels by 2018 in Europe. The United Nations pioneers considered the possibility and agreed to an aim for a 55% reduction by 2030.

Fig. 1. Greenhouse gas emissions projection per year, for each different policies to beat the heat Deforestation Since 1970, the world population doubled, the global economy has increased 4 times, and international trade has extended 10 times. To satisfy the demands of the global population, whether for food, clothing or profits, especially in the tropical areas, global forests have been diminished at an alarming rate and disappeared.

During 1980 and 2000, the Earth lost 100 million hectares of tropical forests, which were primarily utilized for cattle breeding in South America and palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia. This has lethal impacts on the number of organism species. It is estimated that the survival of approximately a quarter of animals and plants is threatened on average; the trend of global insects is also rapidly declining in some locations. All the research and data demonstrate that estimably a million species are confronting extinction within a few decades, and this has never occurred in the past 1,000,000 years.

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The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification adopts the New Delhi Declaration and commits to establishing national targets to combat desertification in September 2019. The New Delhi Declaration is a powerful document, all parties recognize the challenges posed by land degradation and desertification. The conference passed and enforced 35 legally binding resolutions and policies, including promoting soil restoration, reducing land-related carbon emissions and redoubled efforts to enhance resilience, alleviate and control the risk of drought and hazards that would be caused by desertification and land degradation.

Bibliography Science | AAAS. 2021 The Paris climate pact is 5 years old. Is it working?. [online] https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/12/paris -climate-pact-5-years-old-it-working

SOCIAL MEDIA Eco-Age Instagram @ecoage Are you interested in fast fashion?

Follow @ecoage to learn more about fast fashion and sustainability! Eco-Age is an end-to-end agency for sustainable business strategy. It helps brands to reduce their impact on people and the planet, communicating their journey in a transparent, tangible way.

Eco-Age has been collaborating with NGOs, governments and changemakers across industries to become the leader of change in corporate responsibility, over the last 10 years. Today, EcoAge is widely recognised as the authority on sustainability in the industry and beyond.

联合国 环境保护

Un.org. 2021. . [online] https://www.un.org/chinese/esa/progareas/sustd ev/action.html#:~:text=%E8%81%94%E5%90%88 %E5%9B%BD%E7%8E%AF%E5%A2%83%E4%BF %9D%E6%8A%A4%E5%B7%A5%E4%BD%9C%E 7%9A%84,%E8%A1%8C%E5%8A%A8%E9%9A% BE%E4%BB%A5%E8%A7%A3%E5%86%B3%E7% 9A%84%E9%97%AE%E9%A2%98%E3%80%82

联合国新闻. 2021. ⼯发组织：电动交通在环保中 的作⽤⾄关重要. [online] <

https://news.un.org/zh/story/2020/08/1064982>

联合国新闻. 2021. 环境署：2050年可能将有数百 万⼈因环境污染⽽过早死亡. [online] <

https://news.un.org/zh/story/2019/03/1030211>

地球：环境可持续性

Unesco. 2021. . [online] < http://gem-report2016.unesco.org/zh/chapter/%E5%9C%B0%E7% 90%83%EF%BC%9A%E7%8E%AF%E5%A2%83% E5%8F%AF%E6%8C%81%E7%BB%AD%E6%80% 09

LOCKDOWNS ARE CLEARING THE AIR BONNIE HYUN

Fig. 1. April 1st, 2020, in downtown Los Angeles. The photo was taken when city officials urged people to stay at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the notoriously congested city’s traffic seemed to disappear. Scientists measured less seismic activity in the spring of 2020 because activity across the word was so low.

Although a global pandemic that sickened millions of people and devastated livelihoods is not the best way to make the world a better place for us to live on, still it did demonstrate what was possible with bold, drastic action.

The pandemic has temporarily cleaned the skies.

The name scientists call it the “anthropause”, the global pause in human activity that occurred when Covid-19 started its march around the planet and forced us to stay put. According to the International Air Transport Association, air travel fell to 50% of what it was in March 2019, which is the biggest drop in recent history. Vehicle traffic in the US and several other countries have also plummeted.

Pollution levels have plunged across the globe, from China’s Hubei province to industrial northern

Italy and beyond, as industries have closed and billions of people have been stranded at home due to lockdowns. India, where air pollution is among the world’s worst, reported being able to see the Himalayas for the first time where they live.

The declines in pollution due to the drop in NO2 and CO2 are only temporary however, it still proves how fast we can bring down pollution only by reducing our burning of fossil fuels. The cleaner air also serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of air pollution.

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), polluted air both indoors and outdoors costs the lives of seven million people every year.

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The clean air will be short-lived since the air will return or perhaps exceed the normal levels once factories reopen and people begin to travel in their vehicles. This is already seen in China, where pollution levels have returned to its precoronavirus levels, despite the fact that some factories are still not completely operational.

Fig. 2. After the Indian government ordered a three-week lockdown, a single bus owned a normally crowded highway on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, on April 5.

The declines in pollution due to the drop in NO2 and CO2 are only temporary however, it still proves how fast we can bring down pollution only by reducing our burning of fossil fuels.

The cleaner air also serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of air pollution. According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), polluted air both indoors and outdoors costs the lives of seven million people every year.

Marshall Burke, an Earth system scientist at Stanford University also said that the reduction in contamination caused by covid virus shutdowns possibly saved between 53,000 and 77,000 lives in China - many times more than the virus’s direct toll. This is surprising, however, given that air pollution causes more than 1.2 million annual deaths in China, this should not be shocking that much. He made it clear that calculating the gain of China's cleaner air did not mean minimizing the pandemic's cost or terror.

However, he added, "these other things we do, that we can alter, are also significant. Lives lost in the absence of a pandemic are equally significant and should not be lost.”

When the pandemic eventually ends, polluting industries may likely increase their production to make up for lost time and also if the virus causes people to be afraid of taking public transportation, driving will increase. Many governments would be tempted to restart their fossil fuel industries because they are the most readily available where analysts predict that investment in both wind and solar power will fall as a result of the impending recession and the deterioration of credit markets.

The pandemic provided scientists with a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to observe habitats devoid of humans, providing a baseline from which human effects could be measured more precisely. It has hinted to us that reduced use of fossil fuels and vehicles have led to huge improvements in environments, especially abating severe air pollution that led to huge numbers of people dying and diseases.

This provides us that reduced burning of fossil fuels and using vehicles can eventually lead the world to a healthier place and hence, we must take this pandemic period as an opportunity to think of a specific plan of maintaining or even reducing further environmental pollution. The key issue would be finding a balance between maintaining the production of pre-coronavirus periods and still reducing air pollution at the same time which will be a big challenge for governments to accomplish.

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TAKE ACTION!

Source: www.mindfulofthehome.com

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A LOOK AT NATURE "Be a part of the solution, not part of the pollution." - Stephen R. Covey Photographed by Minseo Cha

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CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Minseo Cha WRITERS Minseo Cha Janice Yoo Annie Wang Bonnie Hyun

DESIGNER Minseo Cha

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