Do we have a
moral obligation to take action to protect the future of a planet in peril?
·
Yes,
for the survival of humankind
·
Yes,
for the sake of the children
·
Yes,
for the sake of the Earth itself
·
Yes,
for the sake of all forms of life on the planet
·
Yes,
to honor our duties of gratitude and reciprocity
·
Yes,
for the full expression of human virtue
·
Yes,
for all flourishing is mutual
·
Yes,
for the stewardship of all creation
·
Yes,
because compassion requires it
·
Yes,
because justice demands it
·
Yes,
because the world is beautiful
·
Yes,
because we love the world
·
Yes,
to honour the and celebrate the Earth and Earth systems
·
Yes,
because our moral integrity requires us to do what is right
While the
scientific and economic evidence for combating environmental destruction may
give us compelling reasons for acting, there are arguements that there are also
powerful moral reasons to act; reasons based on justice, compassion, and care
for future generations. Even though scientists are doing a heroic job telling
us that climate change is real, people don’t seem to be listening. Scientists
responded by speaking more loudly, in a more unanimous voice, but that didn’t
seem to be changing people’s behavior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma2Wu9m23Bs
People want
better for the world but no one will speak about the damages like they should. The
problem is this silence about what’s right and what’s disastrously wrong. Yes,
global climate disruption is a technological issue that calls for our smartest
and most far-sighted innovations. It is a scientific issue, calling for brave
and honest research. It is an economic issue, calling for good thinking about
meaningful, life-sustaining work and true wealth. It is a political issue, one
that will inevitably involve contest and demand compromise. But we believe that
climate change is fundamentally a moral issue, and it calls for a moral
response.
Water
Gangwon Province, north-east of Seoul
Water.org is
not involved in my region.
Currently,
there are 1,476 water quality monitoring stations in operation throughout the
nation; 697 for rivers, 185 for lakes and marshes, 474 for agricultural area,
and 120 for other regions. Monitoring categories include 34 items for river,
and 35 for lakes and marshes. Especially, there are 49 automatic operating
monitoring stations. The water quality is being monitored by measuring 5 common
items such as DO, TOC, pH and other optional items including VOC. Underground
water monitoring stations were used to evaluate water quality by measuring 20
items at 2,499 stations throughout the nation twice a year. As a result of the
2007 groundwater quality study, 299(6.3%) did not meet water quality standards.
It has improved last year (5.4%), but has been on the rise over the past five
years from 3.6% in 2003 to 5.4% in 2004, and 4.8% in 2005 and 6.3% in 2006. http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/state/southkorea/southkorea.htm
Environmental Groups
Working in South Korea
The Korea Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) was founded on April 2, 1993 to continue the work of several previously existing civil environmental movements, including the Korea Anti-Pollution Movement Association (KAPMA, founded 1988) and Korea Research Institute for Environmental Problems (KRIEP founded 1982).
Its
objectives are:
·
to
protect the environmental rights denoted in the constitution,
·
change
environmentally hazardous industrial systems to a safe system,
·
reduce
pollution and advocate development of sustainable technology,
·
publicize
information regarding environmental issues,
·
provide
environmental education to all citizens,
·
restore
and preserve the quality of the air, water and ecosystems
·
contribute
to the development of regional autonomy,
·
raise
issues on the overall development agenda to ensure that government policies
reflect the concerns of local citizens, and ensure the wide spread
participation and organization of citizens in the environmental movement,
·
and
pursue ecologically friendly and socially equitable society
After its
establishment, KFEM succeeded in halting the nuclear waste dumping in
Geuleop-do and the damming of Dong River. In 2002, KEFM joined one of the top
three international environmental groups, Friends of the Earth. KFEM now
consists of 49 local chapters, 5 specialized agencies, and 5 cooperative
groups.
The Korean
Mountain Preservation League, formerly the Korean Mountaineering League, is a
non-profit non-governmental organization that focuses on the conservation of
South Korea's mountain environments. It was founded in 2005 by Shawn James
Morrissey, a mountaineer and author, who currently acts as the KMPL's president.
No comments:
Post a Comment