There Is No Planet B
The Sungshin Mirror dealt with numerous issues and interviewed people in miscellaneous professions to offer inspiring, bona fide stories to our readers. The most burning topics that must be presented in a timely manner are penned in the articles. Therefore, it is not a question why we decided to talk about the environment in the 241st edition.
Delivery food and the accompanying plastic containers are replacing eating out experiences and mass online shopping is contributing to incremented carbon emissions. According to the Korea Zero Waste Movement Network, the height of stacking every sanitary glove provided for the 21st National Assembly election is estimated to be seven times higher than the 63 building in Seoul. Needless to mention face masks, every action in our new-normal lives generates waste.
More discourses for sustainability are urgently required. Alternative lifestyles are proposed by movements that suggest producing less waste and encourage vegan diets. Yet again, the agenda is not a burden just for individuals. Fashion brands are utilizing recycled plastic as the materials of their newly released products, and shipping companies adopted reusable iceboxes to bring fresh ingredients to customers.
Apple, the game changers of the smartphone and electronics industry, announced its plan to reach net zero carbon by 2030. The newest, fastest iPhone from Apple, the iPhone 12, is also the first smartphone to remove power adapters and EarPods from its box. With a thinner, lighter packaging, the company estimates that the overall significance of reducing the components will “equal to 450,000 fewer cars on the road.”
The prohibition for repacking buy-one-get-one-free products is still surrounded by controversies but is expected to be carried out from January 2021. Starting from trivial details, there will be more attempts to reduce waste, and ultimately to break away from a carbon-dependent economy. According the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Korean ‘Green New Deal’ aims to invest 73.4 trillion won in three major fields; “Green transition of infrastructures, low-carbon and decentralized energy supply, and innovation in the green industry”.
It wouldn’t take long until humanity is the only living species on earth, mourning the tragic fate of our future generation. What should be accentuated is not the fact that the earth is deteriorating, but how fast it’s happening. The frontiers of our generation are cultivating plans for sustainability, and to fully appreciate the unceasing beauty of life with nature, we must remember; there is no Planet B.
By Na Hyunah Editor-in-Chief (pseudonym98@naver.com)