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First, Korea should raise its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal by 2030, considering the country's responsibility for past emissions and its reduction capabilities. Second, a new system is needed for various people to be able to discuss solutions to the climate crisis. Third, we must create a social safety net for everyone. To protect all citizens from climate disasters including torrential rains and typhoons, we should strengthen public services.
Soon after the strike started, it began to rain. The wind was very strong, and suddenly the rain poured down. The situation seemed to show how our lives have become vulnerable to the climate crisis. Some young students didn't even have umbrellas.
After we moved to the nearby space where we could take shelter from the rain, the demonstration continued. Middle and high school students made speeches, and a group of young children sang a song, playing their ukuleles. Their bright, innocent faces moved me.
The original plan was to march from the square to the presidential office. Nevertheless, we couldn't march due to the rain.
Next day, I participated in the Climate Justice March in the Gwanghwamun area. About 35,000 people attended the demonstration.
Before the march, various people gave speeches. Farmers explained how they suffer from the climate crisis. An activist who is working to end discrimination against people with disabilities talked about how vulnerable disabled people are to climate disasters such as heavy rain.
A resident who lives near Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant showed that dangerous nuclear energy is not an alternative to coal power. Activists who oppose the construction of new coal-fired power plants and new airports urged the government to stop destroying the ecosystem.
A worker who has worked for a coal power plant for 10 years pointed out that the government should have plans to support the workers who will lose their jobs if coal power plants are closed. We could understand that we need a just transition from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Varied people, including sexual minorities and poor people, marched. Vegans let people know that the current livestock industry worsens the climate crisis. In the middle of the march, marchers staged a "die-in" to show the destructive effects of global warming. The sky we saw lying down on the street was so blue. We began to march again. The green mountain seen behind Gwanghwamun Gate was magnificent. Can't we preserve the precious ecosystem that all of us depend on?
Marching together, we chanted slogans like "climate justice" and danced to the cheerful music of performers. We are facing the climate crisis, but we won't give up. When more and more people join in making efforts to solve this problem, we'll be able to make this world safer.
Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/dancinglf) is a writer and editor.
