Sustainability Issue 6

SUSTAINABILITY VOL. 06 | DECEMBER 2020 NLCS JEJU ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SOCIETY

CONTENTS 02 DECEMBER ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR 03 TOP 4 ENVIRONMENT NEWS OF 2020 05 BIDEN’S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY 07 HOW DOES WATER POLLUTION AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT? 09 THE RESULT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES: CLIMATE CHANGE 11 FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR ACCIDENT STILL DAMAGING OUR ENVIRONMENT REISE | PAGE 2

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DECEMBER ENVIRONMENT CALENDAR

December 5 World Soil Day : a day to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources December 10 Human Rights Day : Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The document outlines the fundamental rights of all human beings that must be protected universally. Human rights are at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

2020 Theme: Recover Better - Stand Up for Human Rights December 11 International Mountain Day : a day to create awareness about the importance of mountains, which are home to 15% of the world´s population, and to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development 2020 Theme: Mountain biodiversity 02

TOP 4 ENVIRONMENT NEWS OF 2020 MINSEO CHA 2020 is a year many people would like to forget, but it was also a notable year for the environment.

There was a raised awareness of the link between human and planetary health. Natural disasters fueled by climate change along with the coronavirus pandemic impacted millions of lives, whilst there were signs of efforts to make the world greener. Here are the top four environment stories of the year:

1. Wildfires This year, the record-breaking conflagrations tore through several parts of the world, including Australia, the Western United States, and Amazon. While Australia typically has an annual fire season lasting from September to March, this year has been exceptionally hot, dry, and windy, creating the prime conditions for the fire to spread. The bushfire burned 46 million acres, caused 34 direct deaths, destroyed nearly 10,000 buildings, and killed or displaced 3 billion animals. In California, since August, the wildfire torched more than 4 million acres, which is almost doubled the state’s previous record for the most area burned in a season. Millions of people living on the West Coast experienced the fires’ impacts. For the 2020 Brazil rainforest wildfires, 44,013 outbreaks of fires were registered between January and August and 6,315 outbreaks occurred within the Amazon in the same period.

2. COVID-19 The COVID-19 outbreak was arguably the defining story of 2020. A number of positive effects were expected as a result of lockdowns and reduced economic activities. The global greenhouse gas emissions dropped by about 7 per cent, and air and water pollution decreased largely in many countries, most notably, China. Other beneficial impacts on the environment include increased government-controlled investments towards a sustainable energy transition and environmental protection. However, the pandemic also created a surge in plastic waste such as disposable masks and single-use plastic items that added to the dire pollution problem.

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3. U.S. Reversal The biggest story of the year in terms of tackling climate change was probably the reversal in the United States’ position due to the presidential election. The Trump administration withdrew from numerous environmental regulations, including the Paris Climate Agreement and Waters of the United States regulation that aimed to protect waterways, and weakened the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act, to name a few. Climate change was a centrepiece of Joe Biden’s campaign. The president-elect Joe Biden pledged to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and undo the rollbacks of the Trump administration. He also outlined a plan to achieve a 100 per cent clean energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050.

4. Climate Commitments Some nations and firms took a step forward to a greener future. For instance, Denmark - the European Union’s largest oil producer - announced to end its oil and gas production by 2050. South Korea, Japan, Canada, and South Africa pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and Xi Jinping said China - the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide - would achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Corporations and banks also made some meaningful moves to stop climate destruction. Many companies such as Apple committed to carbon neutrality for supply chain and products by 2030, and Microsoft unveiled a plan to go carbon negative by 2050, meaning that it will remove from the environment all the carbon it has emitted since founded in 1975.

Bibliography Thompson, A. (n.d.). The Top Five Climate Stories of 2020. [online] Scientific American.

Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-top-five-climate-stories-of-20201/ [Accessed 23 Dec. 2020].

Mongabay Environmental News. (2020). Top 10 environmental news stories of 2020. [online] Available at: https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/top-10-environmental-news-stories-of-2020/ [Accessed 23 Dec. 2020].

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BIDEN’S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY JANICE YOO In the past years, preventing climate change and saving the environment has not been a high priority for the U.S federal government. However, a change is expected as president-elect Joe Biden will be in office as the 46th president on January 20 in 2021. The Biden environmental policy agenda includes a plan for a Clean Energy Revolution to address climate change at the federal level and reengage with a global community to generate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Biden publicly announced a greater focus on environmental justice and more significant enforcement as the U.S is one of the states that contributes significantly to global warming and pollution.

First of all, Biden is planning to revisit the executive orders of the Trump administration.

He plans to evaluate chemical risks and enforce the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Clean Air Act. Biden also promises to rejoin the Paris climate accord on day one of his administration since president Trump drew back from the agreement, causing conflicts with other states including Europe. Although rejoining the Paris agreement would require the U.S to submit new commitments for reducing the nation’s emissions, Biden and the U.S’s efforts will encourage other states and enable them to overcome a global challenge: global warming and climate change.

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Biden also plans to reverse policy rollbacks that Trump established in the past, including the “America First” energy strategy aimed at opening U.S coastal waters to oil and gas drilling. Such changes will help the U.S reform its environmental policies and make it an environment-friendly country.

Biden’s policy changes are alerting the investors as well. According to Jon Hale, head of Sustainability Research for the Americas at Morningstar, once a transition to a low-carbon economy is embraced, early-stage investments through venture capital and private equity are likely to increase. Moreover in public markets, Biden’s initiative may lead investors to low carbon and fossil-fuel-free portfolios. Also, investments in funds related to renewable energy will increase. Already, traditional energy funds have started developing more renewable energy as the trend will likely to continue when Biden will start his work in January.

However, global warming is on-going and a crucial time has been lost in the global effort to fight climate change during the Trump administration. This is what Biden cannot revert.

Despite the fact that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued increasingly urgent warnings during Trump’s years, Trump did not respond.

Therefore, it puts further pressure on the Biden administration regarding the issue of the climate crisis. According to Michael Burger, the executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law school, politicians and states delay making meaningful actions while time is the most important element in the climate crisis. Indeed, there is a dire need for change regarding the environmental policies in the U.S and the global community is now looking to Biden.

Bibliography Environment. (2020). What actions can Biden take on the environment—and how quickly? [online] Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environ ment/2020/11/what-actions-can-biden-takeon-environment-how-quickly/.Perkins, T. (n.d.).

Major changes in environmental policy expected under Biden - AZPM. [online] news.azpm.org.

Available at: https://news.azpm.org/s/82128major-changes-in-environmental-policyexpected-under-biden/ [Accessed 24 Dec. 2020].

Konish, L. (2020). Biden’s presidency could be a game changer for impact investing. Here’s what experts are watching. [online] CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/hereshow-bidens-presidency-could-be-a-boost-forimpact-investing.html [Accessed 24 Dec. 2020].

The National Law Review. (n.d.). Looking Ahead to 2021 - Implications of a Change in Administration on Environmental Policy. [online] Available at: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/looking -ahead-to-2021-implications-changeadministration-environmental-policy [Accessed 24 Dec. 2020].

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HOW DOES WATER POLLUTION AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?

Fig. 1. The Amount of Garbage Piled Up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, The Ocean Cleanup (2019) MINSEO KANG Water pollution is when waste, chemicals, or other particles cause a body of water (i.e. rivers, oceans, lakes) to become harmful to the fish and animals that need the water to survive and disrupt nature's water cycle. It can occur through natural causes like volcanoes, algae blooms, animal waste, and silt from storms and floods, but a lot of water pollution comes from human activity. Some human causes include sewage, pesticides and fertilizers from farms, waste water and chemicals from factories, silt from construction sites, and trash from people littering.

There are many sources of water pollution. Water pollution from major events like acid rain or oil spills can completely destroy marine habitats.

Some of the most famous incidents of water pollution have been oil spills. For instance, the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred when an oil tanker hit a reef off the coast of Alaska and there were over 11 million gallons of oil spilt into the ocean. Another disastrous oil spill was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill when an explosion at an oil well caused over 200 million gallons to spill into the Gulf of Mexico. Acid rain air pollution also can have a direct effect on water pollution. When particles like sulfur dioxide get high into the air they can combine with rain to produce acid rain. Acid rain can turn lakes acidic, killing fishes and other animals.

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Lastly, sewage can also cause major problems in rivers. Even today, sewage is flushed directly into streams and rivers in many areas around the world. Bacteria in the water will use oxygen to break down the sewage. If there is too much sewage, the bacteria could use up so much oxygen that there won't be enough left for the fish. There are different types of sewage that pollute the water: Wastes are produced from animal farms, where animals such as pigs and cows can get into the water supply from the runoff of rain and large storms. Not only that, pesticides are often sprayed on crops to kill bugs and herbicides are sprayed to kill weeds. These strong chemicals can get into the water through runoff of rainstorms and also contaminate rivers and lakes through accidental spills. Moreover, factories often use a lot of water to process chemicals, keep engines cool, and to wash things away. The used wastewater is sometimes dumped into rivers or the ocean. It can be full of pollutants.

Finally, silt from construction, earthquakes, floods, and storms can lower the oxygen content in the water and suffocate fish.

Sometimes pollution affects the entire food chain as well. Small fishes absorb pollutants, such as chemicals, into their bodies. Then bigger fishes eat smaller fishes and get the pollutants too. Birds or other animals may eat the bigger fishes and be harmed by the pollutants. One example of this was the use of the insecticide (bug killer) DDT. When birds of prey ate fishes that were infected with it, they would lay eggs with thin shells. The population of birds of prey began to drop until DDT was banished.

One of the most precious and important commodities for life on planet Earth is clean water. For over 1 billion people on the planet, clean water is nearly impossible to get. Dirty, polluted water can make them sick and is especially tough on young children. Some bacteria and pathogens in water can make people so sick they can die.

Bibliography

Water pollution has disastrous effects on the environment overall. Sulfate particles from acid rain change the pH of water making it more acidic, harming the marine animals. Organic matter and nutrients cause an increase in aerobic algae and deplete oxygen from the water column, reaching a point where there isn't enough oxygen in the water for the fish to breathe. This is called eutrophication and causes the suffocation of fish and other aquatic organisms.

To help with this, we should save water, as fresh and clean water is a precious resource. This could be done in every daily life, like not wasting water by taking shorter showers, not watering the lawn, making sure the toilet isn't running, and not leaving the faucet running. The use of herbicides needs to be restricted.

Instead, pulling the weeds in the yard would help. Scrape plates clean into the trash and don't put grease into the kitchen drain. Always pick up your trash, especially when at the beach, lake, or river.

“Dangers of Water Pollution - Water Pollution.”

Water Pollution, 2018. [online] Available at : www.water-pollution.org.uk/dangers-of-waterpollution/.

“Water/Wastewater News - Pollution Solutions Online.” Www.Pollutionsolutions-Online.com, 7 Mar. 2016. [online] Available at : www.pollutionsolutionsonline.com/news/waterwastewater/17/breaking-news/.

Accessed 22 Dec. 2020.Pollution Solutions.

“How Does Water Pollution Affect the Environment? Pollution Solutions Online.”

Pollutionsolutions-Online.com, Pollution Solutions, 2019.

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THE RESULT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES: CLIMATE CHANGE EVELYN YOON Climate affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from our food sources to transport infrastructure, clothing, and holiday travel spots. It has a huge effect on our living, health, and future. Climate change describes a change in the average conditions — such as temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period of time. Global climate change refers to the average long-term changes over the entire Earth. Geological records show that there have been a number of large variations in Earth’s climate throughout history. These have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth’s orbit and levels of CO2.

Global climate change has typically occurred very slowly over thousands or millions of years.

However, research shows that the current climate is changing more rapidly than shown in geological records. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.

According to the United Nations, without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly.

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Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and water vapour. According to the European Union, carbon dioxide is the most commonly produced greenhouse gas by human activities and it is responsible for 64 per cent of man-made global warming. Its concentration in the atmosphere is currently 40 per cent higher than it was when industrialisation began. These gases trap solar radiation in the Earth’s atmosphere, making the climate warmer.

Other greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities, but they trap heat far more effectively than CO2, and in some cases are thousands of times stronger. Methane is responsible for 17 per cent of man-made global warming, nitrous oxide for 6 per cent.

In order to prevent this situation, countries have to contribute to reducing the number of burning fossil fuels, releasing chemicals into the atmosphere, the amount of forest cover, and the rapid expansion of farming, development, and industrial activities. However, small actions such as reducing water waste, powering your home with renewable energy, pulling the plugs out when not using, and last but not least, speaking up towards this issue will significantly help preventing climate change.

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FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR ACCIDENT STILL DAMAGING OUR ENVIRONMENT ALISON HYEYUN SONG Nine years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident happened on 11th March 2011 in Japan. It was an energy accident started by the tsunami and the following Tohoku earthquake.

Even though the active reactors shut down the fission reaction automatically, the tsunami overwhelmed the emergency generators. The resulting damage caused to cool down the reactors, which lead to the enormous hydrogen-air explosion, melt down of three nuclear reactors, and release of radioactive materials that killed approximately 19,000 people.

Currently, thousands of past residents are living in temporary housing provided by the government. Even though some of the residents moved to nearby villages, about 100,000 former citizens of Fukushima are not able to come back yet. Moreover, the groundwater flows through contaminated places. Therefore, groundwater is polluted by radioactive materials which cause the basements of the surrounding houses to be poisoned as well. Many environmentalists are worried about the radioactive water flowing to the sea, as it will cause water pollution and killing of fish. Nuclear fuel is also very dangerous for humans, so when workers are working around the site and become exposed to radiation, they must not continue working. To clean up pollution and recover from the accident completely, it will take a long time and will cost more than 400 billion dollars. Nonetheless, people should work hard to bring back the environment.

Fig. 1. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in ĹŒkuma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan on the day of the accident

At the reactor site, cleanup work proceeded: contaminated buildings have been cleared and radiation level decreased. The cleanup recently reached the point where workers began removing nuclear fuel rods for disposal. However, the pollution due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident is still ongoing; it will probably take decades to recover the city perfectly.

Fig. 2. Cleanup of the disaster

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CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Minseo Cha WRITERS Minseo Cha Janice Yoo Minseo Kang Evelyn Yoon Alison Hyeyun Song 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