[Square] You, Practicing Eco-Friendly Actions, Are the Hero Protecting the Earth

As the New Year begins, people often feel excitement and anticipation, but this year, concerns outweigh expectations. Recently, news about natural disasters caused by abnormal climate conditions has been overwhelming. Glaciers in the Himalayas are melting, claiming many lives; Texas, once considered a warm place, experienced massive power outages due to a cold wave; and the Sahara Desert saw snowfall. In South Korea, an abnormal climate with a temperature fluctuation of nearly 20 degrees Celsius during winter has been detected for the first time in 48 years. It seems that the global community is suffering from nature’s punishment.

The cause of these natural disasters is the rising temperature of the Earth due to greenhouse gases, which everyone knows about. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the average global temperature has risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times. Experts agree that if the Earth's temperature rises more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, natural disasters beyond human control will occur.

Despite knowing the cause well, global warming continues rapidly, setting records for the “warmest year” every year. The World Meteorological Organization warned that if the current pace continues, there is a 20% chance that the global average annual temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2024.

The world’s attention is focused on preventing global warming. The United Nations (UN) has declared a climate emergency, calling for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. The upcoming G7 summit in the UK this June will address COVID-19 and climate change as major agenda items.

The European Union (EU) has presented a blueprint for becoming a carbon-neutral continent, and the United States has adopted climate change response as one of its seven national priorities. The South Korean government has also joined the effort by finalizing and announcing the “2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy.”

From global companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google to domestic firms, worldwide efforts to mitigate climate change are underway. Jeju Development Corporation, which produces and sells Jeju Samdasoo water, recently presented the “Green Hole Process” vision, aiming to reduce plastic and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% each by 2030 through production, distribution, collection, and recycling.

In South Korea’s industrial sector, the steel, petroleum and chemical, and cement industries?known for the highest carbon dioxide emissions?have also pledged to reduce carbon emissions. The distribution industry is accelerating eco-friendly initiatives, focusing on changes in packaging materials. This is to promote responsible consumption through eco-friendly packaging, especially as disposable waste such as plastics and vinyl has surged due to COVID-19. The whole world is striving to prevent global warming. However, without practical actions in our daily lives, these efforts are meaningless. Carbon neutrality means reducing, absorbing, and offsetting greenhouse gases emitted from daily life and business activities to achieve a net zero emission. Practical daily actions are a crucial element.

Heroes in movies protect the Earth from alien invasions. Today’s Earth faces disaster due to our own negligence. Individual awareness and small actions to protect the environment are more important than any national-level efforts. It is clear that many small actions can lead to significant results. You who act now are the hero protecting the Earth.

Kim Jeong-hak, President of Jeju Development Corporation

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.