Rifkin: "Already in a New Nomadic Era Due to Climate Change... Water Rights Values Must Be Newly Recognized"

New Book 'Planet Aqua' Launch Press Conference
"Limits Reached in Foundation Built on Water Exploitation and Control"
"100,000 Climate Refugees with 1°C Rise... Era of New Nomadism"
"Military Roles Changing, East Asia to Lead the Future"

"The era of the new nomadism has already begun. Water will determine where humanity can live and where it can thrive. We must rename the Earth as 'Planet Aqua' and create a new narrative."

Jeremy Rifkin, a world-renowned American scholar, emphasized this at a press conference held on the 9th to commemorate the publication of his new book, Planet Aqua (Minumsa). The conference was held online via Zoom.

In his book, Rifkin points out that the foundation of life humanity has built over the past 6,000 years, centered on the land, is collapsing. Humanity has so far thought centered on the land rather than water, developing by controlling and exploiting water, but now this approach has reached its limits. Ultimately, Rifkin stresses the need for a change in values that re-recognizes the value of the hydrosphere.

Jeremy Rifkin [Photo by Minumsa]

He identified human arrogance as the fundamental cause of the collapse of the long-accumulated foundation of life.

"I want to talk about humanity's arrogance. Humanity isolated, stored, privatized, and commodified water to meet the needs of a single species?humans. For the past 6,000 years, humanity believed it could tame water."

Rifkin explained that humanity exploited water by building dams and artificial reservoirs, constructing levees and embankments, and based on this, achieved what it called progress. The land-centered thinking led to industrialization and the establishment of hunting and gathering urban civilizations, but in the process, fossil fuels were used, and humanity ultimately faced the existential threat of today's climate crisis.

Rifkin emphasized that the Earth has four spheres: the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, and among these, the most important is the hydrosphere. "Because the hydrosphere is the driving force of life. Without the hydrosphere, there is no lithosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere. We live on a planet of water." Rifkin pointed out that there are still efforts to solve today's crises through land-centered thinking, but this is not the right solution.

"A new approach, a new solution is needed. We must rethink how we relate to nature. We must also rethink the political and economic systems we have established and even the way we educate children. Without water, there is no life. Ultimately, we need a new narrative."

Rifkin pointed out that the new nomad era has inevitably arrived due to climate change. "For every 1-degree rise in Earth's temperature, 1 billion people become climate refugees due to extreme weather events. The era of new nomadism has already arrived. Ways of life are also changing in diverse ways."

As an example of changing lifestyles, he cited the phenomenon in the United States where young people are leaving cities for rural areas following the introduction of remote work. "Because the quality of life is better. Ecological issues will become even more important in the future."

Rifkin also emphasized the necessity of energy transition as part of climate change countermeasures. "Since 2019, the costs of solar and wind power have decreased exponentially. The fixed costs of solar and wind have dropped, making them the cause of global warming and now stranded assets, but they can generate much more profit than nuclear power." Stranded assets refer to assets whose value has declined due to environmental changes such as climate change, leading to write-offs or conversion into liabilities.

Rifkin expressed regret, saying, "I heard that the transition to renewable energy has recently slowed down in Korea."

Rifkin also said that the East should lead the future because Eastern thought does not separate humans from nature.

"In Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, nature is regarded as a resource. They believe God gave Adam the right to dominate nature. In contrast, Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism and Taoism do not separate humans from nature. This concept is embedded in the cultural DNA of Eastern countries. Therefore, I believe Asian countries will lead the future."

Rifkin predicted that the role of the military will also change in the future. "Currently, military powers control fossil fuels. But in the future, the military's role will shift from securing resources to relief and restoration of ecological areas. When extreme weather events occur, the military will be deployed for restoration and reconstruction activities. The military will spend more time on ecological management. In the United States, already hundreds of thousands of soldiers are involved in local ecological restoration activities. I believe this phenomenon will spread worldwide."

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