By Jang Daul
The global hit Korean drama, "Squid Game,'' on Netflix is a hot topic in Korean society these days.
People see the success of "Squid Game" as another example of the Korean Wave (hallyu), the rise in the global popularity of Korean culture, following BTS, Blackpink and "Parasite."
This situation reminds me of the text, "The Country I Want," written by Kim Gu, one of the most respected Korean independence movement leaders and politicians.
In his autobiography, in the part called, "My wish," he wrote as follows: "I want our country to be the most beautiful in the world, not the most wealthy or powerful. Because I have felt the pain of being invaded by another country, I do not want my country to invade others. It is sufficient that our wealth makes our lives abundant and our strength is able to prevent foreign invasions. The only thing I wish for in infinite quantity is the power of a noble culture. This is because the power of culture both makes us happy and gives happiness to others."
Apparently, I am not the only one who is reminded of him, while witnessing the rise of Korean culture worldwide, as RM, a member of BTS, also once quoted the same words of Kim Gu.
It is a good feeling that the culture of my country is now receiving praise and recognition globally. At the same time, as an environmental activist, I want my country to be credited not only for its culture but also for its responsible actions in this era of a global climate emergency.
The latest scientific U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report warns that the acceleration of climate change so far is already a "code red for humanity."
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently said, "The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7 degrees of heating," as compared to the agreed goal of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
A new WHO report said that climate change is the "single biggest health threat to humanity."
I want my country to be responsible for its climate action, as Greta Thunberg warned, we need to "act as if our house is on fire."
The cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide of my country since the Industrial Revolution (1750-2019) are similar to those of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Portugal ― combined.
The annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from my country were ranked fifth among developed countries in 2018.
The annual carbon dioxide emissions per capita of my country in 2019 ranked fifth among OECD member countries, higher than that of Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The average Korean emits 12 tons of carbon dioxide annually, while the average Thai emits four tons, three tons for the average Vietnamese, two tons each for the average Indonesian and Brazilian, and one ton for the average Filipino.
Coincidentally, the aforementioned developing countries happen to be those with the most K-pop fans, and many of them are also highly ranked in the Global Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch.
Developing countries are less responsible for climate change, but more vulnerable to climate disaster. Therefore, developed countries, including Korea, need to take more responsibility, following the principle of "the polluter pays," in order to ensure climate justice.
As a ratifying party to the Paris Agreement, my country needs to at least decrease its annual GHG emissions by more than 50 percent by 2030 against 2018 levels, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This figure is the average level of climate action required by every country in the world.
If my country wants to be proportionately responsible as one of the major GHG emitters, with its high per capita emissions, and as an industrialized, high-tech country with the tenth-largest economy, then Korea needs to decrease its emissions more than 70 percent by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.
Furthermore, this level of commitment on Korea's part is necessary to ensure climate justice compared to those countries that love Korean culture but suffer from the deteriorating global climate more than Korea, due to our much bigger contribution to climate change.
However, on Oct. 18, Korea's Presidential Committee on Carbon Neutrality ultimately decided to reduce annual GHG emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.
The 40-percent reduction target is far less than the proportional responsibility Korea has for climate action and even less than the scientifically required, average reduction level.
The 40-percent target is a clear renunciation of the Paris Agreement. If the other countries follow levels of reduction similar to Korea's, we will never be able to limit the increase of the global average temperature to within 1.5 degrees.
In other words, the reduced target shows clearly that the Korean government is not going to take care of or be responsible for its own as well as the rest of the world's people, especially those living in climate-vulnerable countries.
If Kim Gu had been alive, he would not have been very happy with the fact that his country finally has cultural soft power but remains a climate villain.
Jang Daul (daul.jang@greenpeace.org) is a government relations and advocacy specialist at Greenpeace East Asia's Seoul Office.
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People see the success of "Squid Game" as another example of the Korean Wave (hallyu), the rise in the global popularity of Korean culture, following BTS, Blackpink and "Parasite."
This situation reminds me of the text, "The Country I Want," written by Kim Gu, one of the most respected Korean independence movement leaders and politicians.
In his autobiography, in the part called, "My wish," he wrote as follows: "I want our country to be the most beautiful in the world, not the most wealthy or powerful. Because I have felt the pain of being invaded by another country, I do not want my country to invade others. It is sufficient that our wealth makes our lives abundant and our strength is able to prevent foreign invasions. The only thing I wish for in infinite quantity is the power of a noble culture. This is because the power of culture both makes us happy and gives happiness to others."
Apparently, I am not the only one who is reminded of him, while witnessing the rise of Korean culture worldwide, as RM, a member of BTS, also once quoted the same words of Kim Gu.
It is a good feeling that the culture of my country is now receiving praise and recognition globally. At the same time, as an environmental activist, I want my country to be credited not only for its culture but also for its responsible actions in this era of a global climate emergency.
The latest scientific U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report warns that the acceleration of climate change so far is already a "code red for humanity."
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently said, "The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7 degrees of heating," as compared to the agreed goal of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
A new WHO report said that climate change is the "single biggest health threat to humanity."
I want my country to be responsible for its climate action, as Greta Thunberg warned, we need to "act as if our house is on fire."
The cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide of my country since the Industrial Revolution (1750-2019) are similar to those of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Portugal ― combined.
The annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from my country were ranked fifth among developed countries in 2018.
The annual carbon dioxide emissions per capita of my country in 2019 ranked fifth among OECD member countries, higher than that of Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The average Korean emits 12 tons of carbon dioxide annually, while the average Thai emits four tons, three tons for the average Vietnamese, two tons each for the average Indonesian and Brazilian, and one ton for the average Filipino.
Coincidentally, the aforementioned developing countries happen to be those with the most K-pop fans, and many of them are also highly ranked in the Global Climate Risk Index by Germanwatch.
Developing countries are less responsible for climate change, but more vulnerable to climate disaster. Therefore, developed countries, including Korea, need to take more responsibility, following the principle of "the polluter pays," in order to ensure climate justice.
As a ratifying party to the Paris Agreement, my country needs to at least decrease its annual GHG emissions by more than 50 percent by 2030 against 2018 levels, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This figure is the average level of climate action required by every country in the world.
If my country wants to be proportionately responsible as one of the major GHG emitters, with its high per capita emissions, and as an industrialized, high-tech country with the tenth-largest economy, then Korea needs to decrease its emissions more than 70 percent by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.
Furthermore, this level of commitment on Korea's part is necessary to ensure climate justice compared to those countries that love Korean culture but suffer from the deteriorating global climate more than Korea, due to our much bigger contribution to climate change.
However, on Oct. 18, Korea's Presidential Committee on Carbon Neutrality ultimately decided to reduce annual GHG emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.
The 40-percent reduction target is far less than the proportional responsibility Korea has for climate action and even less than the scientifically required, average reduction level.
The 40-percent target is a clear renunciation of the Paris Agreement. If the other countries follow levels of reduction similar to Korea's, we will never be able to limit the increase of the global average temperature to within 1.5 degrees.
In other words, the reduced target shows clearly that the Korean government is not going to take care of or be responsible for its own as well as the rest of the world's people, especially those living in climate-vulnerable countries.
If Kim Gu had been alive, he would not have been very happy with the fact that his country finally has cultural soft power but remains a climate villain.
Jang Daul (daul.jang@greenpeace.org) is a government relations and advocacy specialist at Greenpeace East Asia's Seoul Office.
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