South Korea - The Korea Times

Decisions have to be made (20)

We have seen an increasing number of severe storms and floods in the Northern hemisphere, and climate change scientists warn that extreme weather is worsening. By Leena Ilmela Not a single transaction between European banks is possible due to the once-in-a-century floods in Central Europe. One farm is contaminated; all food import from Europe to Russia cancelled. Climate change is a political challenge; 20 percent of exports are disappearing. Three European examples of environment related shocks that shake the economy: How to make decisions in the world that is dominated by man-made (global financial system) and environment generated (climate change) uncertainties? Climate change requires fast decisions. Climate change is studied widely, but still we have two groups of experts with totally opposite views. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) anticipates that the critical level of global warming has already been reached, and the warming of the climate is faster than predicted. At the same time, there are scientists that claim that a new small ice ag

Apr 16, 2012

Geopolitics of energy and Korea’s choice (19)

By Chae Hee-bong There are several forthcoming important changes in geopolitics of world energy and climate change issues that require attention. First, China’s presence in the global energy market will be evident in the next three decades. China is already ranked first in the world in terms of total energy consumption. It is forecast for China to account for around 40 percent in the increase of world oil consumption over the next three decades. Prominently increasing China’s presence in the world energy market will certainly bring some significant changes to world energy geopolitics. It is already scrambling for oil and gas in Africa and the Middle East to satisfy its explosive oil demand. Chinarobust demand will function as a main factor for driving up international oil and gas prices for at least the next three decades. China will also try to increase its political and military capability to improve energy security because it’s relatively vulnerable to sudden interruptions in the supply of oil, especially in terms of sea lane transportation. About 85 percent of oil impor

Apr 12, 2012

Environment through the lens (18)

Environmental challenges have no borders. This confirms the reality that environmental problems have to be dealt with from an international and common perspective. By Choi Yul “The simplest way to approach environmental problems is through the camera. This is why I will be organizing environmental film festivals in Korea. This is what I told the world congress of Friends of the Earth in Interlaken in Switzerland in 2002. At the time, I was the secretary general of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and participated in the congress to become a formal member. This was the beginning of the Seoul Green Film Festival. In October of that year, the Korean Green Foundation was established and two years later, in 2004, Korea’s first environmental film festival was launched. Seoul Green Film Festival is now in its ninth year. There are virtually countless numbers of film festivals in the country with different sizes and themes. Most of them are supported by provincial governments and participated in by local residents. But there are also numerous film events of

Apr 9, 2012

Consequences of climate change on oceans (17)

Over the past century, most of the world’s mountain glaciers and ice sheets in both Greenland and Antarctica have lost mass. By Climate Institute One of the most pronounced effects of climate change has been melting of masses of ice around the world. Glaciers and ice sheets are large, slow-moving assemblages of ice that cover about 10 percent of the worl’s land area and exist on every continent except Australia. They are the world’s largest reservoir of fresh water, holding approximately 75 percent. Over the past century, most of the world’s mountain glaciers and the ice sheets in both Greenland and Antarctica have lost mass. Retreat of this ice occurs when the mass balance (the difference between accumulation of ice in the winter versus ablation or melting in the summer) is negative such that more ice melts each year than is replaced. By affecting the temperature and precipitation of a particular area, both of which are key factors in the ability of a glacier to replenish its volume of ice, climate change affects the mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets. When the te

Apr 5, 2012

Does Earth really need our protection? (16)

There are implications of sea level rise but time has proven that the Earth can deal with it. Dangerous climate change? Climate changes every day whether or not you do anything about it. By Jake J. Nho This is a question that people have faced since about 30 years ago, give or take. Why does the Earth need protecting? Why is there so much concern about environmental protection? Around the end of the 1980s, there was a continuous flow of reports in the media about the giant hole in the ozone layer as a result of the emissions of excessive carbon gases. It sounded as if everyone was going to die of skin cancer because the ozone layer was no longer going to be there to protect us. Do we talk about the ozone layer now? Did a majority of the Earth’s population get skin cancer? Not by a long shot. There are streams of reports in the media (again) about yellow sand blowing into Korea from China. This is scientifically true. But when was the last time you had to go to hospital for exposure to the yellow sand? Hard to remember, isn’t it? Global warming is another big, big is

Apr 2, 2012

Little Ice Age (15)

By John L. Casti One of the charms of living in the center of Vienna is the opportunity to regularly visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum, a place that’s on everyone’s list of the world’s 10 great art museums. One of the museum’s highlights is Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1565 painting “Hunters in the Snow.” This haunting work shows three hunters returning from a hunting expedition accompanied by their dogs. By appearances, the expedition was not successful: the hunters seem to trudge wearily through the deep winter snow, and the dogs look pretty miserable themselves. The weather depicted in the painting appears to be a calm, cold, overcast day; the trees are bare of leaves; wood smoke hangs in the air and in the background we see ice skaters skimming over a frozen lake. Little Ice Age In fact, according to many climatologists, these two paintings fairly accurately bound a period now called the Little Ice Age (LIA), which seems to have begun around 1550 and lasted for about three centuries. During this time winters in Europe and North America were considerably cold

Mar 29, 2012

Mitigating revelations of climate change (14)

Advantages of nuclear technology are that the fuel is almost limitless and the fusion reaction does not produce any toxic waste. By Geoff O'Brien Accelerated climate change and increasing variability is one of the greatest threats to the international objectives of sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Addressing climate change requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These gases retain heat that is radiated from the planet; the greenhouse effect. Without the greenhouse effect the average temperature of the planet would fall to about minus 14 degrees Celsius. Life would not be sustainable. We are increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and warming the planet. A sharp rise in the average global temperature could lead to catastrophic consequences. The international community is trying to find ways of reducing or mitigating the emission of greenhouse gases through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Progress has been slow! The problem is that energy is so fundamental to our

Mar 26, 2012

Nuclear technology: to have or not to have (13)

In a world where climate change and its consequences are major concerns, it is important to remember that nuclear power is cost-effective and generates virtually no pollution. By Park Jin-seng Much scientific data concerning nuclear warheads has been publicized in recent years. Research results point to the devastating realization that the number of existing nuclear warheads is critically high, and unless we reduce their number or find the means to prevent them from causing harm, all of mankind could be eradicated without warning. Most notably, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) reported this January that the Doomsday Clock was adjusted forward by one minute, and that it is now pointing at 11:55 p.m. The BAS stated during a press interview, “The clock which had been pointing to 11:54 since 2007 has been adjusted, primarily because of the rapid proliferation of nuclear weapons despite the efforts of global leaders.” As the Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight, it concomitantly brings the end of the world one step nearer. The Doomsday Clock is not only warnin

Mar 22, 2012

(12) Taking advantage of urbanization

In developed countries, the discussion about urbanization is an almost finished chapter, while in others it still plays an important role in relation to national politics. By Martin Kruse Urbanization in the modern sense characterizes the shift that happens when a society moves from primarily being an agrarian society to becoming an industrial and knowledge-based one. This trend reached a historic milestone in 2008. This was the first year in human history when more people lived in cities than in the countryside. This trend is also seen in developing countries. By 2025, more than half of the population in developing countries will live in cities. This is an increase of about 10 percent since 2007, and by 2050 the trend will result in 70 percent of the world’s population living in cities. This is an increase of 40.5 percent in 100 years, the greatest migration in world history. In developed countries, the discussion about urbanization is in some an almost finished chapter, while in others it still plays an important role in relation to national politics and in particular how

Mar 19, 2012

(11) Environmental for Future Generations

By Seo Yong-seok The early 1970s can be described as the years of self realization. It was during these years that the world community became aware of their responsibilities towards future generations. For the very first time, people became aware of the toll the modern technology was taking on nature and its resources. They began to realize the dire consequences it could have on the ecology and the climate. Gradually, this awareness became widespread as more people became aware of the finite natural resources and the vulnerability of the Mother Earth. People started thinking about the future of the coming generations. People began to ponder about the earth’s future, and what legacy would we leave for future generations if we continued the so called “progress” at the current pace. They talked about our responsibilities towards future generations, and privileges that these generations would be able to enjoy. While talking about mankind, we refer to the existence of humans as of today and in the future. Hence, it is our duty to ensure that future generations enjoy the right to

Mar 15, 2012

Environment & Animals