H.eco Festa calls for empathy, innovation to address climate change
With the effects of global warming accelerating and intensifying, scientists, entrepreneurs, professors and students at H.eco Festa called for greater empathy across generations toward the climate crisis, along with innovative scientific solutions to address it.
H.eco Festa, the revamped name of the annual H.eco Forum, took place at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex in Daejeon on April 9.
During a panel talk focused on discussing the potential impacts of climate change in the next 10 years moderated by broadcaster Ahn Hyun-mo, professor Kim Hyung-jun from KAIST's Graduate School of Future Strategy discussed about the Meta Earth initiative and how it can be used to 'determine the future of Earth.'
Meta Earth is a research initiative that examines how human life alters the Earth's climate and how climate change can conversely impact human societies. According to Kim, this includes 'developing numerical models that represent human activities across sectors like water, agriculture and energy and later assessing their impacts on a global scale, exploring renewable energy developments and their climactic consequences.'
'The Meta Earth model can be used to determine who's at fault behind disasters such as droughts and floods,' Kim added. 'There is a question about whether the direct cause of disasters is solely human-caused or whether there are other natural or climatic causes. We are trying to answer this question with the Meta Earth model.'
Kim also mentioned that the Meta Earth model can be used by different countries to examine the kinds of impact countries' actions can have on each other.
'Carbon emissions in the US or China, for example, can play a key part in accelerating effects of climate change in developing countries. Out of the 190-something countries in the world, the countries placed in the top 10 percent (based on their standards of living) can be said to be responsible for the increase in temperature for at least 80 percent of the countries on Earth,' Kim explained. 'This is where Meta Earth comes into play. (Meta Earth) can help form simulations that help developed countries, such as the US for example, understand how actions that boost carbon emissions can stir natural disaster occurrences in other parts of the world such as the Amazon Rainforest.'
After Kim's presentation, Park Sung-bin, an undergraduate student from KAIST's Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, one of the panel discussants, called for older generations to empathize with younger generations about the seriousness of climate change.
'As someone a part of the climate generation, I can say for sure that I have felt the impacts of climate change throughout my life, but there will always be someone who says otherwise,' said Park. 'Though not everyone may say that climate change should seriously be dealt with, I'm sure it'll only get worse for the next generations of people if nothing is done from here.
Park added that older generations, especially those who are policymakers, 'must learn to listen into the younger generations and empathize' with them on their concerns about climate change, 'to take actions countering global warming from here for the future generation.'
Following the 20-minute discussion on the potential impacts of climate change in the future, a second panel talk themed 'Can Going Green Be Profitable?' featured four entrepreneurs who launched their businesses in various fields based on eco-friendly technologies and materials.
Ghim Se-hoon, CEO of aweXome Ray, discussed his company's products focused on air sterilization and purification solutions, while CEO Kim Jeung-bin of SuperBin discussed his business model which uses waste generated in cities to create alternative materials that can replace textiles – the first of its kind globally.
The idea behind eco-friendly menstrual pads was also introduced by Kim Hyo-yi, CEO of Inertia and a KAIST alum, while Jeon Gun-ha, CEO of Holidaybus, talked about his company's idea of creating clothes using recycled plastic waste.
The moderator of the second panel talk, CEO Lee Soon-youl from Korea Social Investment Foundation, called for 'an increase in capital from the private sector' to 'actively conduct bold business investments' in eco-friendly startup companies.
'Compared to other developed countries, the scale of investments being made in eco-friendly, climate-conscious companies are four times less,' said Lee.
SuperBin, according to CEO Kim Jeung-bin, had received up to 100 billion won ($70.1 million) in investments when it was first launched. It could have received close to 400 billion won in other developed countries, according to Lee.
'Climate tech, which requires significant time and capital for technology development and commercialization, is taking a direct hit from the evident hesitance in wanting to invest into eco-friendly companies. As a result, many of such eco-friendly companies are actively considering relocating overseas,' Lee stated. 'In this situation, an increase in private capital to make further investments, are more necessary than ever.'
Beside thought-provoking talks on climate change, H.eco Festa also saw performances by singer-songwriter Ha Hyun-woo, who is also the lead vocal of the rock band Guckkasten. During the event, Ha performed some hit songs including 'Diamond,' from the soundtrack of popular 2020 drama series 'Itaewon Class' and 'Lazenca, Save Us,' a remake of the 1997 music track by late rock legend Shin Hae-chul.
The H.eco Festa is an annual event designed to raise environmental awareness and to provide a platform that encourages a friendlier approach toward climate change and environmental issues that may otherwise seem daunting and difficult. The forum is hosted and organized by Herald Media Group, which publishes The Korea Herald and Herald Business.
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