The summer facing a climate catastrophe is finally passing. The severe drought has burned crops, and the package loader died in July’s heat wave. In August, torrential rains submerged homes, streets, and vehicles, resulting in fatalities for those unable to escape the deluge. There were also tragic deaths of children, individuals with developmental disabilities, and temporary female workers who cared for them. In September, the relentless downpour from Typhoon Hinamno caused significant damage in Pohang, leading to a dozen fatalities. However, record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall, floods, and typhoons are just the beginning; harsh winters, heavy snowfall, wildfires, and other climate disasters will continue to rewrite records.
Despite these realities, the government continues to repeat empty policies, aspiring to become a nuclear powerhouse for carbon reduction, as if waiting to awaken from a nightmare. However, climate disasters are not nightmares; they are real, matters of life and death, not just statistics and figures. Nuclear development, with its existential threats, can never be a viable alternative, and carbon reduction alone is insufficient to fully address the climate crisis. Even companies bearing significant responsibility for climate change have merely superficially embraced ‘green growth,’ with no genuine commitment.
The disasters brought about by the climate, which humanity has wrought, have set foot in our negative and unequal reality. Infinite growth, scientific omnipotence, and capitalist economic systems have rendered the Earth uninhabitable, just as they have for all societal weak points. Like these systems, climate disasters, too, disproportionately inflict the most violent harm on those with the least responsibility and in poverty. While our systems flood the lower tiers of society, urging them to climb higher ceaselessly, this is not a genuine solution. We urge for a just transition from the position of those directly affected by the climate disasters, filled with anguish and anger, dreaming of a just conversion.
The National YWCA of Korea declares its participation in the Climate Justice March for justice, peace, and life, standing in solidarity with youth and young people who choose to live differently from the destructive current system, women who are agents of climate justice, and those in the community dreaming of sustainable lives. We demand the cessation of nuclear power and fossil fuel use, effective carbon reduction through the expansion of renewable energy, and a just transition in related industries. We also request care justice for those experiencing exacerbated inequality due to climate crises. The voices and actions of citizens directly facing the climate crisis can change the world. On September 24, 2022, citizens advocating for climate justice, for an equal and dignified life for all, will gather at Gwanghwamun. In the face of the overwhelming impact of unjust climate disasters, Korea YWCA also aims to walk the path for life together. We invite those feeling fear and helplessness, as well as those dreaming of a different world, to join this march. Until the day a world of true justice and peace emerges, National YWCA of Korea will continue to shout endlessly and walk alongside citizens.
